TIFFIN, Ohio—The Heidelberg University women’s basketball team will open a four-game home stand stretching two weeks on Saturday, Jan. 7 when it hosts Marietta College in an Ohio Athletic Conference game at Seiberling Gymnasium in Tiffin, Ohio. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m.
Live stats for the game will be available at http://www.heidelberg.edu/statcrew/wbb/xlive.htm.
The Berg (3-9, 0-5 OAC) is coming off a 75-53 loss to OAC foe Ohio Northern University on Wednesday in Ada. Sophomore guard Kathleen Phillips (Sandusky/St. Mary’s) matched a career high—set earlier this season—with 30 points on a 10-of-17 shooting night. Despite the loss, the Berg turned the ball over just 14 times. Phillips has led the team in scoring in 11 of 12 games this season, including the last nine consecutive.
Marietta (8-5, 3-3 OAC) enters the game in a tie with Baldwin-Wallace College for sixth place in the league standings. The Pioneers have lost two straight games and three of their last four following an 88-60 loss to the University of Mount Union on Wednesday, their second-largest margin of defeat this season. Heather Booth tallied a team-high 17 points on seven-of-13 shooting to go with eight rebounds and leading scorer and rebounder Aleisha Guiler added 13 markers and eight boards of her own against Mount Union, but Marietta shot just 38.3 percent (23-of-60) from the field and committed 21 turnovers.
The Pioneers swept the season series a year ago, taking a 72-56 win in Tiffin (Jan. 8, 2011) and a 59-48 decision in Marietta (Feb. 12, 2011). Phillips tallied 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals in her lone outing against Marietta last season, while sophomore guard Emily Giel (Burton/Burskhire) averaged 8.0 points per game in two games. Tori Dixon averaged 13.0 ppg. and three assists per game and Guiler averaged 8.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game in for Marietta 2010-11.
Both teams hold a 5-5 record in the series’ last 10 meetings, with Marietta boasting a two-game winning streak. Fourth-year head coach Marcie Alberts is 4-2 against Marietta, including 2-1 at home. Marietta fifth-year head coach Jill Meiring is 3-5 against the Berg, including 2-2 in Tiffin.
Heidelberg averages 60.0 ppg.—including an OAC-best 18.5 ppg. from Phillips—while allowing 74.0 ppg., shoots 33.9 percent from the field as a team, and holds a minus-10.7 rebounding margin per game. Marietta—led by Guiler’s 14.2 ppg. and 7.9 rpg., good for fourth and sixth in the OAC, respectively—average the conference’s fourth best scoring mark at 64.6 ppg. and allows 65.8 ppg. The Pioneers shoot 37.4 percent from the field and 73.1 percent from the free throw line and average a minus-0.6 rebounding margin per game.
In addition, Heidelberg will welcome the return of Marietta assistant coach Stacia Shrider, who spent the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons on Alberts’ staff as a graduate assistant. The Marietta native is at her third stop in the OAC, having enjoyed a four-year playing career at Baldwin-Wallace from 2004-08.
Following Saturday’s contest, the Tri-Color will host Otterbein University in an OAC game Wednesday, Jan. 11 before wrapping up its home stand with Mount Union (Jan. 14) and Capital University (Jan. 18).
Probable Starters: Marietta (8-5, 3-3 OAC)
Name—GP-GS—Key Stats
Sierra Sigman—13-13—5.1 ppg., 2.2 rpg., 1.5 apg.
Kristeva Rowe—13-13—5.5 ppg., 2.2 rpg., 1.8 apg.
Aleisha Guiler—13-13—14.2 ppg., 7.9 rpg., 41.1 FG%, 90.5 FT%
Jessica Brogan—13-13—6.7 ppg., 2.5 rpg., 81.5 FT%, 1.5 spg.
Candice Alexander—13-13—4.0 ppg., 4.1 rpg., 39.1 FG%
Probable Starters: Heidelberg (3-9, 0-5 OAC)
Name—GP-GS—Key Stats
Jordan Ickes—12-12—6.9 ppg., 35.6 FG%, 1.6 apg.
Jazmine Shaw—12-2—2.5 ppg., 2.3 rpg., 40.0 3FG%
Emily Giel—12-12—7.4 ppg., 30.5 3FG%, 1.7 apg.
Kathleen Phillips—11-11—18.5 ppg., 3.6 rpg., 38.9 FG%, 77.6 FT%
Megan Miller—12-12—8.2 ppg., 4.4 rpg., 1.5 spg., 0.5 bpg.