Women’s Basketball celebrates seniors, Durand with 76-48 victory over Muskingum

By Bud Denega 

ADA — There were quite a few people to honor prior to the start of Saturday's game between the Ohio Northern women's basketball team and Muskingum. Northern head coach Michele Durand was coaching her last regular-season home game inside the ONU Sports Center, and she was recognized alongside four seniors. 

The Polar Bears celebrated those five in fine fashion with a lopsided 76-48 victory. The win improved ONU to 19-6 overall and 13-5 in Ohio Athletic Conference play, while the losses dropped the Muskies to 3-20 overall and 1-17 in conference action. 

Senior Emily Mescher (Maria Stein/Marion Local) paced Northern, pouring in a team-high 18 points on 9 of 10 shooting with six rebounds. Fellow senior Jaclyn Yankle (Youngstown/Cardinal Mooney) added 14 points and six boards, while sophomore Alissa Stahler (Lima/Shawnee) chipped in eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds.  

The Polar Bears connected on 42.6 percent (29 of 68) of their field-goal attempts and 25.7 percent (9 of 35) of their 3-pointers. Northern also dominated the glass, winning the rebounding battle 50-33 — 12-7 on the offensive boards — which equated to a 13-7 edge in second-chance points. 

The Muskies shot 28.8 percent (17 of 59) from the floor and 25.9 percent (7 of 27) from 3-point land. Emily Yeager finished with a game-high 19 points to go alongside 10 rebounds. 

ONU swiftly built a double-digit lead, taking a 19-9 advantage into the second quarter. Northern extend its cushion to 34-23 at halftime before ballooning its lead to 58-33 ahead of the game's final period. 

The Polar Bears enter the OAC Tournament as the No. 3 seed and will host No. 6-seeded Mount Union Tuesday 7 p.m. Northern swept the season series, winning 58-57 Dec. 7 in Ada and 70-63 Feb. 1 in Alliance.