Ian Franks

The College of Wooster, ranked No. 25 in this week's D3hoops.com national poll, began the second half on a 12-1 run Wednesday night, constructing a 14-point advantage, and then withstood a series of rallies by Oberlin College before securing a 66-58 win in North Coast Athletic Conference action at Oberlin, Ohio.

The victory, coupled with a loss by second-place Wittenberg University, gives Wooster (12-4, 7-0 NCAC) a two-game edge in the league standings heading into the arch-rivals' first meeting of the regular season Saturday night.

Justin Hallowell knocked down a 3-pointer on the Fighting Scots' last possession of the opening half to break a 29-29 tie and then they carried that momentum over into the second. Four different players scored during the aforementioned run that resulted in a 44-30 lead, forcing Oberlin (4-12, 0-7 NCAC) into a timeout at the 16:31 mark.

The Yeomen would not go away, first chipping their deficit down to 46-40 during a six-minute stretch that saw Wooster score on just one of seven possessions. The Scots snapped out of their funk, putting seven of the next eight points on the board for a 12-point cushion (53-41).

Wooster was still ahead by double figures (55-44) entering the final six minutes of play when Oberlin made another charge. The Yeomen cut it to six twice at 55-49 and 60-54, the latter followed by a steal and transition lay-up that made it a four-point margin with 1:27 remaining.

Out of a timeout, Ian Franks countered with a quick lay-up for the Scots to push the lead to 62-56, and then neither team scored again until Oberlin got two at the charity stripe with :33 left (62-58). Wooster, though, would seal it by making 4-of-6 free throws and shutting out the Yeomen offense over the final few ticks.

During the first half, the Scots had four 10-point leads – 17-7, 19-9, 22-12, and 29-19 – only to give up 10 unanswered points for what turned out to be the game's only tie (29-29). Wooster never trailed.

Statistically, both teams shot similar percentages, except for at the foul line where the Scots converted 19-of-24 (.792) to Oberlin's 13-of-21 (.619). Wooster also had a significant advantage on the glass, finishing with a 39-27 margin in rebounding, which helped offset 18 turnovers.

Franks led all players in scoring for the third consecutive game, this time with 21 points on 7-of-11 field goals (3-of-5 3-pointers) and 4-of-4 free throws. He also shared game-high honors in assists with Hallowell, as they each tallied four.

Bryan Wickliffe recorded a game-high 10 rebounds to contribute to the win, and also of note, Matt Fegan provided a lift off the bench with 3-of-7 3-pointers for nine points.

Oberlin's Andrew Fox tossed in 19 points and teammate Marcus Johnson was a disruption for the Scots with five steals.

Next, Wooster and Wittenberg renew one of the top rivalries in all of college basketball Saturday in Springfield, Ohio, starting at 7:30 p.m.