Gabi Croft scores career-high 14 points to lead Women's Basketball to 59-54 win over Muskingum
January 10, 2026
ADA — Junior Gabi Croft (Spencerville) scored a career-high 14 points to lead the Ohio Northern women's basketball team to a 59-54 win over Muskingum on Saturday afternoon.
The Basics
- Records: Ohio Northern (5-9 Overall, 4-1 OAC), Muskingum (7-6 Overall, 0-4 OAC).
- Venue: ONU Sports Center — Ada, Ohio.
The Game
- Croft also led the Polar Bears with a career-high eight rebounds.
- Sophomore Charlotte Pauling (Beavercreek) had 12 points.
- Sophomores Logan Phillips (Troy/Miami East) and Emerson Gray (Liberty Center) each added 10 points.
- Phillips had a team-high five assists while Gray led the team with three steals.
- Muskingum was led by McKenna Baney with 16 points.
- Northern started the game on a 6-0 run, with all three layups assisted by Phillips.
- The Polar Bears went on an 8-0 run, including a 3-pointer from junior Courtney Sumner (Ada) to make the score 16-4 with 4:53 left in the first quarter.
- The Muskies answered with a 7-0 run to make the score 16-11.
- ONU led 20-15 after the first quarter.
- Muskingum started the second quarter with a three, but Northern then went on a 12-0 run, including eight straight points from Pauling.
- Ohio Northern led 36-22 at halftime.
- The Muskies went on an 8-0 run to cut ONU's lead to 45-41 with 1:16 left in the third quarter.
- Northern led 47-41 at the end of the third.
- Muskingum scored six straight points to open the fourth quarter, tying the game at 47.
- Phillips scored eight straight points to make the score 55-51 with 4:19 left in the game.
- A steal from Brewer gave Sumner a fast-break layup to make the score 59-53, sealing the game for the Polar Bears.
- Ohio Northern made 23-of-57 field goals for 40.4 percent and was 5-of-19 from beyond the arc for 26.3 percent, while Muskingum was 24-of-58 from the floor for 41.4 percent and finished 3-of-16 on 3-pointers for 18.8 percent.
- The Polar Bears made 8-of-15 free throws for 53.3 percent and the Muskies were 3-of-14 from the line for 21.4 percent.
- ONU out-rebounded HU 44-32.
Notables
- Gray leads the Polar Bears in scoring (13.5 ppg), rebounding (5.4 rpg), assists (2.2 apg) and steals (2.2 spg) this season.
- Pauling is second on the team in scoring at 12.8 ppg and rebounding at 5.3 rpg.
- Brewer is second in assists (2.1 apg) and steals (2.1 spg).
- Sumner is third in scoring with 8.4 ppg.
- This is the 54th season of Ohio Northern women's basketball. The Polar Bears are now 783-524 all-time in program history for a winning percentage of .599.
- Sixth-year head coach Mark Huelsman is now 92-47 at Ohio Northern, a winning percentage of .662.
Up Next
- The Polar Bears return to action on Saturday when they host Otterbein at the ONU Sports Center at 7 p.m.
