BEREA, Ohio — The Baldwin Wallace women's basketball team rang in the season with a loss. What has transpired since the year's first game was a string of wins—26 straight to be exact—that led the Yellow Jackets to the Ohio Athletic Conference Championship and now an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
News 5 covered the Yellow Jackets' impressive streak leading up to the OAC Tournament, highlighting a team that embraced togetherness and strong bonds.
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The Yellow Jackets went on to win every game of the regular season, going 24-1. Their streak led them into the conference tournament where they faced Capital on Thursday, beating them 80-72. That win advanced Baldwin Wallace to the championship game on Saturday, a matchup with Ohio Northern.
Saturday's OAC Championship game was a tight one. There were a number of standout moments in the contest, including senior Emily Irwin's 1,000 career point milestone, which came on a buzzer-beater three-pointer going into halftime.
"I think we agreed that was the coolest 1,000-point score we've ever seen with that shot at halftime," said senior Caely Ressler.
Irwin gave all the credit to her teammates.
"It's a testament to all the teams in the past, everyone that got me those shots, everybody who worked so hard to give me those shots open," Irwin said. "It's awesome, but a testament to my teammates."
The back-and-forth game saw 12 lead changes and a down-to-the-wire finish.
Sophomore Laura McCoy hit two clutch three-point daggers in the final two minutes, pushing them toward a win.
"One of my teammates, Kaycie Badylak, said, 'You guys are about to go in and you're going to hit a big shot for us, one of you.' And when I got the ball, I just thought back to that and [thought] I'm just going to shoot it with confidence," McCoy said.
It was Ressler who put the game away, going to the line with 1.2 seconds left in the game up two, hitting both of her free throws to give the Yellow Jackets the 64-60 win over Ohio Northern. As she hit her second shot, Ressler turned to her teammates, screaming in excitement as the reality set in that they were getting the win.
"My teammates trusted me there at the line and all game they put me in a great position, so I'm really thankful to just do this with them," Ressler said.
The Yellow Jackets won their 26th game in a row, the latest victory crowning them OAC champions for the ninth time in program history. Winning the conference also earns Baldwin Wallace an automatic bid to the NCAA DIII Tournament.
"Hopefully we get to host in front of this crowd, in front of the greatest fans in the OAC, and put on a show for a couple more weeks," Ressler said.
The Yellow Jackets will find out their seeding and if they'll host this Monday during the selection show that begins at 2:30 p.m.
Until then, the team will soak in the win, basking in the glory with their new trophies, the freshly cut-down nets and the title of OAC Champions.
"We're just going to enjoy this for a day or two and then find out on Monday who we get to play," said head coach Cheri Harrer.
