Case Western Rallies Past Wilmington To Open Zimmerman Memorial Classic

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — After leading most of the opening game of the 2009 Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Classic at Wittenberg University, the Case Western Reserve Spartans scored just three points over a 10-minute stretch of the second half to fall behind Wilmington. That's when the Spartans clamped down defensively and came up with several clutch offensive possessions to turn things around and pull out a 68-66 victory.

Case Western improved to 7-2 on the season with the win, while Wilmington fell to 5-5. The Spartans advanced to the tournament title game at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 30, while the Quakers were relegated to the consolation game at noon.

Wilmington led 56-50 with 5:46 remaining after Kortney Kin hit a short jumper. Case Western reeled off the next six points, however, triggered by a three-point play from Ashleigh Tondo. The Spartans took the lead for good, as it turned out, on a three-pointer by Evy Iacono and then made just enough free throws down the stretch to hold onto the lead.

Four Case Western players scored double figures in the game, led by Erin Hollinger with 24 points to go along with a team-high seven rebounds. The Spartans shot 43 percent from the field in the first half as they built a 39-35 lead by intermission, but Case Western made just 10-of-33 in the second half, including a paltry 1-of-12 from three-point range. From the free throw line, the Spartans finished just 9-of-18 for 50 percent.

The difference in the game was the Spartans' defensive pressure, which yielded a whopping 29 Wilmington turnovers, compared to just 15 for Case Western. That negated a 52-32 rebounding advantage for the Quakers, who were led by Kin with 19 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Allie Meranda added 15 points, while Olivia Waters chipped in with nine points and 11 rebounds.