Muskingum vs Ohio Northern (01/06)
The Fighting Muskies traveled to the Ohio Northern University Sports Center on Saturday to play against the Polar Bears on their home court. ONU took a huge jump forward from the start and had amassed a large 20 – 5 lead by the end of the first period of play.
Muskingum tried to mount a comeback in the second period but try as they might the Polar Bears blocked them leaving the Muskies to spend the halftime break trying to strategize about how to recover from the 32 – 21 deficit.
After the break, Muskingum battled to get back into position to make plays happen and try to close the gap, but the ONU defense stayed one step ahead the whole time, the Muskies grabbed an additional 11 points but the Polar Bears added 14 points of their own to end the quarter up 46 – 32.
Ohio Northern did not let up on the pressure during the final quarter as they continued to land shots and hold Muskingum back defensively. The Muskies closed the gap to just a ten-point deficit but that was as close as they could get as the buzzer rang out and ONU grabbed a 57 – 47 victory.
Caitlyn DeMassimo led Muskingum with 22 points, seven rebounds, two blocks, and one steal. Claudia Harrington had 14 points, four rebounds, two assists, and a pair of steals. Taylor DeMassimo landed five points, four rebounds, and two assists. Halle Morehead and Tori Jones each scored three points and had three rebounds. Lizzy Allen grabbed six rebounds, one steal, and one block.
Muskingum vs Marietta (01/03)
The Lady Pioneers traveled to New Concord on Wednesday to take on the Fighting Muskies who were coming off a three-game winning streak, picking up two of the wins at the end of the year during the Bluffton Holiday Classic.
Both teams were in fighting form as they took the court, but Marietta got the early jump and ran with it as they pushed ahead of the Muskies amassing a 16 – 6 lead at the point where the Muskies started to turn things around. The Muskingum team held the Pioneers offense at 16 points as they pushed back to come within one point by the end of the first quarter, going into the second period of play down 16 – 15.
Just seconds into the second quarter the Fighting Muskies did just that and took the lead from Marietta and held onto it for as long as they could gaining a cushion of 31 – 23 over the Pioneers with just over three minutes left in the half. Much like the show of force from their opponent in the previous period, the Pioneers kicked it into gear as they clawed their way back to the lead going into halftime up 34 – 33 over Muskingum.
After halftime, the two teams settled into a rhythm tying up the score at every turn. Neither offense could build much of a lead without the other team matching. By the end of the third period, both teams were square at 49 points.
During the fourth quarter, Marietta took big strides to gain a ten-point lead with just five minutes left to play at 61 – 51. From there, the Fighting Muskies clawed their way back to the lead taking a 63 – 61 lead with just two minutes left, and held it until there were only seven seconds left on the clock. After a steal by Marietta’s Kelly Levering, Hannah Schill went in for a successful layup that tied the score but was fouled in the process. With no time left on the clock, the decision rested on the free throw and Schill capitalized on it, landing the game-winning point 64 – 63 over Muskingum.
Junior Caitlyn DeMassimo had a career-high five blocks for the game and 22 points with six rebounds and three assists. Sophomore Claudia Harrington scored 11 points and had a game-high nine rebounds and two blocks. Sophomore Tori Jones had 11 points and two rebounds. Sophomores Lizzy Allen and Courtney Hivic each scored seven points in the game. Senior Taylor DeMassimo scored five points and grabbed three rebounds for the Muskies.
Muskingum vs Hanover (12/30)
While still in Bluffton, the women from Muskingum brought their A-game to face the Panthers at the Sommer Center. The Panthers had a rolling start taking a quick 4 – 0 lead and rolling it into an even bigger 22 – 9 lead by the end of the first quarter of play as they managed the defenders with ease making their way down the court.
The Muskies scratched their way back up the scoreboard as they closed the gap on Hanover in the second period. Muskingum brought the game within four points with just under a minute left in the first half of the game, going to the locker room with their heads held high at a 36 – 32 disadvantage to Hanover.
The Muskies were able to fight back after halftime. First, they tied up the score with just under two minutes left in the period then they punched ahead taking a one-shot advantage as the period ended with a 52 – 50 gap on the Panthers going into the fourth period.
The fourth period was a true head-to-head battle as the two teams fought fiercely to take control. Muskingum had the lead through almost the entire period with Hanover landing a free-throw with just seven seconds left in the game to even the playing field at 67 points sending the game into Overtime.
The two teams remained in a gridlock for the majority of the overtime period as the Muskies squeezed ahead with just 1:40 remaining in the period. Muskingum held their lead despite repeated attempts by the Panthers to take it. In the end, the Muskies took the 77 – 74 victory.
Muskingum vs Bluffton (12/29)
At the start of the McDonald’s of Bluffton Holiday Classic on Friday, the Muskies took on the Bluffton Beavers. From the start, the Muskingum women were not messing around with a huge 20 – 0 lead just halfway through the first period of play that ended in an even bigger 37-point quarter for the Muskies they went into the second period already up 37 – 17.
Bluffton was simply not able to recover from the punishment of the first quarter as the Muskies held their twenty-point lead all the way to the halftime buzzer. The Muskingum team headed to the locker room with a demanding 52 – 32 lead.
Bluffton took control of the third quarter holding the Muskies to just 5 total points for the period but only managed to close half of the deficit that they faced ending the period still down 57 – 47.
The final period saw the Muskies rebuild their lead within the first few minutes of the quarter, dominating the court and leaving the Beavers in the wake as they ended the game with a devastating 76 – 55 win.
Senior Taylor DeMassimo had a season-high 19 points, four rebounds and three assists. Sophomore Claudia Harrington had 17 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Sophomore Lizzy Allen tied her career-high 14 points while grabbing six rebounds and four assists. Sophomore Tori Jones tallied 13 points with three rebounds and three steals. Junior Halle Morehead scored seven points and three assists. Junior Caitlyn DeMassimo had six points and 10 rebounds.
