Nathan Balch

WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster, which moved up one spot to No. 24 in this week's D3hoops.com national poll, held Hiram College to just 19 points in the second half and 43 for the game, as the Fighting Scots pulled away to a 67-43 victory in North Coast Athletic Conference action Wednesday night at Timken Gymnasium.

Wooster (14-4, 9-0 NCAC) increased its lead in the conference standings to three games, as Wabash College fell to Ohio Wesleyan University 73-67, creating a second-place group of four teams with 6-3 league records.

Hiram (8-10, 5-4 NCAC), which entered the day as part of a four-way tie for third, led for the majority of the first half, but 10 unanswered points by the Scots in the late going helped the hosts forge ahead 24-18. A couple minutes later, Wooster took a 26-24 advantage into the locker room.

After the Terriers closed within 31-30 early in the second, the Scots went on a 12-2 tear, fueled by the play of Nathan Balch. The junior guard accounted for eight points during that stretch – two 3-pointers and a jumper in the paint – as Wooster gained a double-digit cushion for the first time (43-32).

From there, the Scots steadily stretched out the lead, first to 15 (51-36), then 20 (59-39), and to as much as 24 when Justin Hallowell splashed in one of his four 3-pointers of the evening (65-41).

The difference in the game was Wooster's defense, as it held Hiram to 23 points under its season average (66.6 ppg). The Terriers made just 30.0 percent from the field (15-of-50) and the Scots collected seven more rebounds (38-31).

Offensively, Wooster reached double-digits in 3-pointes made for the sixth time this season, connecting on 10-of-26 (.385), and was at 44.6 percent overall from the floor (25-for-56), while equaling a season low with seven turnovers.

For the fifth-straight time, Ian Franks was the game's leading scorer as he tossed in 18 points, but there was better balance from the Scots with Balch chipping in 16 and Hallowell 12. They both made four 3-pointers, with all four of Balch's coming in the second half.

Hallowell had a complete game, adding six rebounds, a game-high four assists, a career-high four blocked shots, and a game-high two steals. Also for Wooster, Bryan Wickliffe grabbed 10 rebounds to lead all players in that category.

Hiram's most impressive performer of the night was Chris Meyer with 10 points and nine boards.

The Scots continue their homestand Saturday night against Denison University (4-14, 4-5 NCAC) at 7:30 p.m.