This Marty Bidwell dunk during Saturday's second half gave Wooster a 66-46 lead.

WOOSTER, Ohio – A defensive effort that saw The College of Wooster hold Wabash College to just eight points over the opening 13 minutes paved the way for an eventual 78-58 victory for the Fighting Scots Saturday afternoon at Timken Gymnasium.

The win, coupled with Ohio Wesleyan University's 70-62 overtime triumph at Hiram College, puts Wooster and Ohio Wesleyan in a first-place tie in the North Coast Athletic Conference with 10-2 records, now with Hiram a game back at 9-3.

Wabash (8-12, 3-9 NCAC) scored on the initial possession, but that would be its only lead, as the Scots, who improved to 15-6 overall, answered with 10 unanswered points. The Little Giants trimmed that 10-2 deficit to 10-6, only to see Wooster put together an extended run of 16-2, which included 3-pointers from four different players – Justin Hallowell (Worthington, Ohio / Thomas Worthington), Matt Fegan (Strongsville, Ohio / Strongsville), Dustin Getigey (West Salem, Ohio / Northwestern), and Nathan Balch (Westerville, Ohio / Olentangy).

The Scots' 26-8 cushion was due in large part to Wabash's 4-of-20 field-goal shooting and seven turnovers. Over the next five minutes, though, the roles were reversed as Wooster was 0-for-7 from the floor and 1-for-4 at the free throw line while committing three turnovers, and the Little Giants rallied to pull within eight (27-19).

Hallowell broke the Scots cold streak, connecting on two 3-pointers during the last 1:28 of the half, one coming right before the buzzer to make it a 14-point game at 35-21.

Wabash never got any closer than 11 (40-29, 42-31) during the second half, which was highlighted by back-to-back dunks from Wooster's Ian Franks (Greenwich, Ohio / South Central) and Marty Bidwell (Middletown, Ohio / Bishop Fenwick) around the 7:30 mark.

For the game, the Scots shot 46.4 percent from the field (26-for-56), including 9-of-22 3-pointers (.409), and kept the Little Giants under 40 percent (.368; 21-for-57). Wabash won the battle of the boards with a 39-33 rebounding edge, but tallied 17 turnovers to Wooster's 10.

Individually, Franks led the way with 23 points, marking his second consecutive 20-point game. He earned several trips to the line, making 11-of-12 free throws, and also passed out four assists.

Hallowell was slightly above his scoring average with 15 points and Balch was steady again with a sixth-straight double-digit game, this time with 14 points.

Also of note, Bidwell contributed a team-leading seven rebounds and Geitgey provided a lift off the bench, making both of his 3-point attempts as part of an eight-point day.

The Little Giants were paced by Chase Haltom's 13 points.

The Scots have another home game Wednesday, as they welcome Denison University (7-14, 4-8 NCAC), winners of four of its last five, for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.