After a hot start to the 2015- 2016 season, the women’s bas­ketball team lost its third straight game on Wednesday night, falling to the College of Wooster Fight­ing Scots 52–50 at Philips gym.

The losing streak began with the Yeowomen’s Dec. 2 matchup against the Denison University Big Red. The team was unable to recover from a lackluster first period, which ultimately allowed the Big Red to cruise to victory in the remainder of the contest.

Senior guard Caroline Hamil­ton explained that Denison’s early intensity allowed them to put the game away before the Yeowomen could find a rhythm.

“Denison’s fast start last week happened because they came out playing faster and harder than us,” Hamilton said. “We didn’t match their intensity until the second quarter, and by that time we had already put ourselves in a 21–9 hole. We lost the three re­maining quarters by a total of six points.”

Last Saturday’s matchup against the Carnegie Mellon University Tartans followed a somewhat opposite storyline to the previous contest against Denison. After going into the half leading 36–33, the Tartans fought back in the next two periods to win the game by a score of 73–64.

Assistant Coach Casi Donelan explained that the Yeowomen were unable to consistently play their brand of basketball through­out the game. “A few consecutive possessions we got wrapped up in their style of play, and it took us too long to get back to what we do best: defending and knocking down shots,” she said.

Saturday’s game against the Tartans also featured a major personal accomplishment for one of the Yeowomen’s longtime standouts. Senior guard Lindsey Bernhardt netted her 1,000th ca­reer point, a feat only seven Yeo­women had achieved before her.

So far, Bernhardt has averaged a team-high 16.3 points per game to go along with 2.7 assists and 2.6 rebounds. Head Coach Kerry Jen­kins had nothing but praise for Bernhardt when asked what she brings to the program.

“[Lindsey] has a tremendous work ethic and has grown as much as any player that I’ve ever coached. She just scored her 1,000th point this past weekend, and honestly she couldn’t care less. Lindsey has one goal every day: to win,” he said.

In Wednesday’s contest against The College of Wooster, the Yeowomen lacked offensive momentum, as their top scorers in Bernhardt and Hamilton com­bined to shoot just five of forty, or 12.5 percent, from the floor. The Yeowomen were instead led by sophomore Tyler Parlor, who finished with her second double-double of the season by netting 12 points and grabbing an impres­sive 13 rebounds. Despite the of­fensive struggles, the Yeowomen hung tight in the competition, but struggles with shooting ac­curacy in the final minute of the game ultimately led to a 52–50 Fighting Scots victory.

The loss drops the Yeowomen to 5–5 overall and 0–2 in confer­ence play, though they still have ample time left in the season to make a comeback. Coming off a season in which they won 10 conference games to clinch the team’s first ever home playoff vic­tory, the Yeowomen are still look­ing to find their stride with hopes of emulating last year’s record-breaking success. Coach Jenkins explained that his young team is still striving to get to where they need to be.

“We are committed and tal­ented, but we are inexperienced, so our development isn’t as quick as I would like it to be at times. However, we will get to where we need to be. The players want to get better,” he said.

The Yeowomen will look to get back to their winning ways this week when they play the formi­dable DePauw University Tigers in Greencastle, IN, this Saturday at 3 p.m. They will then take a short break before they challenge Kalamazoo College on Jan. 2.