Josh Claytor

The College of Wooster scored 11 unanswered points early in the second half, which propelled the Fighting Scots to a 58-44 lead at the time and to an eventual 87-69 win over North Carolina Wesleyan College during the first round of Randolph-Macon College's Briggs Elliott Tournament Sunday at Ashland, Va.

Following Wooster's victory, Randolph-Macon held serve on its court, rolling over Alvernia University 94-62 and setting up a top-25 match-up for Monday's championship. The host and undefeated Yellow Jackets (7-0) are currently No. 6 in the D3hoops.com weekly poll, while the Scots (5-3) rank No. 23 after previously falling to then-No. 2 John Carroll University 71-63 Nov. 29 and No. 4 University of St. Thomas (Minn.) 84-53 Nov. 21.

Sunday's opener saw Wooster lead for all but three first-half possessions, but it was unable to break away from North Carolina Wesleyan (2-7). During the opening eight-plus minutes of the second, though, the Scots built on their 43-38 halftime advantage by holding the Battling Bishops to just one field goal. The aforementioned 11-0 run occurred during that time, with Josh Claytor getting free for six of his season-high 15 points during that stretch.

Shortly after North Carolina Wesleyan finally notched its second made field goal of the second half, Wooster added a 10-2 run, turning a 67-56 margin into a 77-58 cushion with just under 6:00 to go.

Statistically, the Scots were able to overcome a poor free throw shooting performance (5-for-13) by knocking down 14 3-pointers and outrebounding the Bishops by 19 (47-28). Although the 14 made 3-pointers were a season high, it took Wooster 37 attempts – tied for the fourth-highest total in team history.

In addition to Claytor, Justin Hallowell also put forth a season-high scoring effort with 24 points, highlighted by 7-of-14 3-point shooting. The seven 3-balls tied for the fourth-most in a single-game in school history.

Ian Franks displayed his versatile game via 15 points and a team-leading 10 rebounds for the second double-double of his career, while Nathan Balch, with 12 points, and Brandon Johnson, with a game- and season-high seven assists, rounded out the Scots' top contributions from the guards.

Trey Drake was a bright spot for North Carolina Wesleyan, pumping in 26 points.

Opening tip of Monday's title game is scheduled for 7 p.m.