Box Score
EARLHAM, Ind. â€" Junior guard
Nicole Coffman turned in an impressive 30-point performance in Transylvania's 93-82 victory over the Earlham Quakers on Wednesday, as the Pioneers' maintained their first place position in the Heartland Conference.
The even scoring balance continued for the Pioneers, as five players netted double-digits in the victory, led by Coffman, who managed her second largest point total of the season. Junior
Alex McKenzie made 18 points and six rebounds, followed by sophomore
Katelyn Smith with 12 points, and
Alex Botkin with 10. Botkin also managed a team-high rebounds on the glass, grabbing nine, just one shy of a double-double.
Seeing the court for the first time since Jan. 4, freshman guard
Jordin Fender made an immediate impact on the hardwood over the course of the contest. She contributed 14 points and led the team in assists with five.
Transylvania had a strong outing from the field, hitting 45 percent of their shots, and managing 83 percent from the free-throw line. Their overall team rebounding effort allowed for a strong transition offense, aiding in the teams' 42 points in the paint.
An early back-and-forth scoring developed into an impending lead for the Pioneers' in the opening minutes, as Transylvania went on a 9-3 run with 15 minutes remaining to gain a 19-11 advantage. Every point the Quakers netted was met by a responding basket by the Pioneers until the 8-minute mark.
The Quakers began chipping away at their deficit, as Kasin Spay followed her 3-pointer seconds later by an easy layup to cut the Transylvania advantage to five. An unfortunate foul by Botkin put the Quakers on the free-throw line, where they went 2-for-2, narrowing the lead to three.
A layup in the paint by Earlham and a single free throw, tied-up the game at the 6-minute mark at 31 all. For the first time in the contest, Transylvania lost the lead  after two Quaker shots from the charity stripe, 35-33.
Despite the pressure, the Pioneers responded. A combination of Botkin, Fender, McKenzie, Coffman and sophomore
Kayla Dobson sent Transylvania on a 15-2 run, pushing the cushion to an impressive 11 points with two minutes left in the first half. With less than one minute left, a 3-point basket by Coffman and layup by McKenzie gave the Pioneers the largest lead of the matchup at the half, 56-42.
"Tonight's first half was an excellent display of offensive play," said Head Coach Greg Todd. "We passed, dribbled and shot it well. The second half we didn't make as many good decisions."
The opening minutes of the second set the tone for the rest of the contest, as back-to-back layupts by the Pioneers stretched their cushion to a comfortable 18 points.
Just as the Quakers would attempt a comeback, the spurt would be silenced by the Pioneers' offense on two separate occasions. But, Transylvania had a difficult time putting the Quakers away.
Earlham would challenge Transylvania with only 56 seconds remaining. A pair of free throws by the Quakers narrowed the Pioneer lead to six. But, the Pioneers' strong free-throw shooting would solidify the victory down the stretch, hitting five of six in the dwindling moments to capture the win.
Transylvania's Achilles heel was their tendency to turnovers. Earlham forced 18, grabbing 13 steals from the Pioneers that accounted for 23 of their 82 points. But, Transylvania's offensive attack was too much to defend, giving the Pioneers' the final advantage.
"We hung on and beat a very scrappy Earlham team," said Coach Todd. "Earlham will be in the hunt for a play-off spot in our conference."
The Pioneers (16-2, 10-1) face conference foe Manchester at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 1 p.m. as part of a double-header with men's basketball on the road.
