The Ohio Northern women's basketball program earned a critical Ohio Athletic Conference victory Wednesday evening, toppling the Wilmington Quakers 64-55 at Raizk Arena in Wilmington, Ohio to halt a recent two-game losing skid.

With the win, the Polar Bears improve to 11-7 overall, including a 5-6 mark against the conference loop. More importantly, the victory gives ONU sole possession of seventh place in the league standings, breaking a three-way tie with Wilmington and Heidelberg, who fell 78-54 at Baldwin Wallace Wednesday evening.

The Quakers dropped to an even 9-9 mark overall and own a 4-7 record in the OAC following their midweek loss.

Junior center Emily Mescher (Maria Stein/Marion Local) topped three double-figure scorers for the Polar Bears with 14 points on Hermann Court. Additionally, she would chip in a career-high 11 rebounds for her second double-double this season, leading ONU to an impressive 45-28 advantage on the glass Wednesday night.

Freshman guard Lexi Jacobs (Wapakoneta) posted a career-high 13 points off the bench on five-for-seven shooting, and senior guard Jenna Dirksen (Beavercreek/Carroll) tossed in 12 points to round out those with double-digit outings. Both guards knocked down two three-point field goals in the contest while the latter also registered five rebounds and two steals in the winning effort.

For the Quakers, guard Kennedy Lewis contributed a team-high 16 points to go along with three rebounds, two assists, and a pair of steals.

In the first period, the home side bolted out to an early 7-2 advantage over the first 2:11. From there, Wilmington would go ice cold from the floor and miss their remaining 11 first-quarter opportunities. Northern responded to the Quakers' shooting woes with their own 12-0 run to close the opening stanza and take charge with a 14-7 lead at the first break.

Northern tried to pull away several times throughout the remaining three quarters, but the Quakers would not bow out quietly to their conference foes. The Polar Bears would eventually build their lead to a game-high 12 points in the third period's closing minute, which gave Ohio Northern the momentum heading into the final frame.

Facing a nine-point deficit with 10 minutes remaining, the Quakers rattled off the first five points in the final period and kept the scoreline close before eventually cutting the lead to three with 3:50 in regulation. Moments later, Manley connected on a three-pointer to kickstart a short 6-0 scoring spurt to put the Polar Bears back up nine.

Down the stretch, Dirksen, Manley, and sophomore guard Emily Brock (Akron/Revere) each drained two free throws to seal the program's eleventh win this season.

The Polar Bears are scheduled to return home this Saturday afternoon when they host Mount Union in an Ohio Athletic Conference showdown inside the ONU Sports Center. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. in Ada.

Women’s game

Ohio Northern senior Ryan Bruns (Chickasaw/Marion Local) recorded his 22nd career double-double with 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds to lead the Ohio Northern men's basketball team in a 78-60 loss to Wilmington on Wednesday night at the ONU Sports Center.

The Polar Bears fall to 4-14 overall and are 0-11 in the Ohio Athletic Conference, while the Quakers improve to 11-6, 7-4.

Senior Daniel Donner (Belleville/Northmor) scored a team-high 15 points and junior Austin Allemeier (Lima/Elida) added 12 points for ONU.

WC had three players in double figures in scoring, led by Will Patrick with 19.

Bruns now has three double-doubles in the last four games and moved into fifth place all-time in ONU history with 1,520 career points in his four seasons as a Polar Bear.

Senior Sean Grady (Willowick/Eastlake North) nailed a three-pointer as part of his career-high seven points to bring ONU within 31-30 with 2:15 left in the first half.

But the Quakers would score the game's next 14 points, including the last eight of the first half and the first six of the second half, to go ahead 45-30 with 17:28 left in the game.

The lead would bounce between 10 and 17 points until a 3-pointer by Donner at the 3:57 mark pulled ONU within 64-56.

But WC would answer with an 11-0 run to push the lead to 75-56 with 1:12 to go.

The Polar Bears finished the game 22-of-59 from the floor for 37.9 percent and were 6-of-24 from 3-point range for 25 percent.

"When we are not shooting the ball well, our margin for error is thin," ONU head coach Rich Bensman said. "When that happens, we need to do a better job of the little things to not give up big runs. Give Wilmington credit - they hit some tough shots tonight."

The Quakers were 30-of-60 from the field for 50 percent and made 7-of-22 shots from beyond the arc for 31.8 percent.

The rebounding battle was tied at 36-all. WC forced ONU into 19 turnovers, while Northern defense forced 13 turnovers from Wilmington.

The Polar Bears will take to the road on Saturday for a 2 pm contest at Mount Union.