Scots Remain Atop NCAC, Give Moore Milestone in 68-59 Win Over Rival

WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster led for the final 32 minutes, including by as much as 15 points, but had to hold off a late surge by Wittenberg University to prevail 68-59 in the arch-rivals' first match-up of the season, played Saturday night in front of a near-capacity crowd at Timken Gymnasium.

In addition to holding bragging rights for the time, Wooster stays atop the North Coast Athletic Conference, now tied for first with Hiram College at 5-1, while Wittenberg slips to 4-2. Also of note, it marked the 500th win for head coach Steve Moore, who graduated from none other than Wittenberg (1974), during his 22-year tenure at Wooster (500-118).

After leading by double digits throughout the second half, the Fighting Scots, who also improve to 10-5 overall, allowed things to become interesting late. A Justin Hallowell (Worthington, Ohio / Thomas Worthington) 3-pointer had put the home team ahead 60-46 with five minutes remaining, however, Wittenberg, 7-7 overall, would score the next five points, part of a 13-4 run, and Wooster's offense went without a field goal the rest of the way.

That sequence, capped by a 3-pointer from Josh McKee at the 1:04 mark, trimmed the Scots' lead to 64-59. On the ensuing possession, Wooster ran the shot clock all the way down before firing a desperation 3-pointer that was off the mark, giving the Tigers a chance to cut into the lead further, however, a 3-pointer from the right wing bounced off the rim and Hallowell collected the rebound.

With Wittenberg forced to foul, the Scots sealed it as Matt Fegan (Strongsville, Ohio / Strongsville) and Marty Bidwell (Middletown, Ohio / Bishop Fenwick) each went 2-for-2 from the free throw line during the final 13.8 seconds.

The two teams exchanged the lead six times during the opening eight minutes. Then, Wooster steadily pulled ahead, and added a key 11-2 run, turning a 20-16 advantage into a 31-18 cushion. The Scots had 3-pointers from Hallowell, Bidwell, and Ian Franks (Greenwich, Ohio / South Central) over that stretch.

Wooster closed the half with additional momentum, with a Franks drive resulting in two points right before the buzzer and a 33-22 lead.

In the second, the Scots went up by 15 four times – 40-25, 43-28, 45-30, and 47-32. It remained between a 10- and 14-point margin until the Tigers' charge at the five-minute mark.

Head coach Steve Moore goes over instructions late in Wooster's 68-59 win over Wittenberg. Moore has now won 500 games while at the helm of the Fighting Scot program (500-118).

Statistically, the two rivals were pretty evenly matched. Wooster shot just a little better, hitting on over 40 percent from the field (.407; 24-of-59) and 12-of-13 free throws (.923), compared to Wittenberg's field-goal rate of .365 (23-of-63) and 7-of-11 free throws (.636). The Tigers held an edge in rebounding (41-34), while the Scots committed two less turnovers (11 to 13).

The difference in the game was the play of Franks, who scored a game-high 22 points, many on tough drives to the basket. He also led all players with four assists.

Hallowell connected on 4-of-8 3-pointers as part of a 14-point night, while Bryan Wickliffe (Columbus, Ohio / St. Charles Prep) was in on a team-leading eight rebounds, to go with eight points and two steals. Also of note, Bidwell finished with nine points, five rebounds, and two assists while playing a key role in limiting Wittenberg's top scorer to six points on 2-of-15 field-goal shooting.

McKee paced the Tigers with 14 points, including 3-of-5 3-point shooting, and Alex Brandt was solid off the bench with 12 points and a team-high eight boards.

Next, Wooster travels to Denison University (3-12, 0-6 NCAC) Wednesday evening.