Ian Franks gets a shot off in traffic during Friday night's NCAA Tournament win over Grove City.

WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster overcame its second-worst shooting game of the season, in terms of field-goal percentage (.339), and advanced in the NCAA Div. III Basketball Championships with a 63-52 first-round victory over Grove City College Friday night at Timken Gymnasium.

That sets up a second-round game between two top-20 teams in the D3hoops.com poll, as No. 17 ranked Wooster will face No. 8 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, which closed on a 10-0 run to overcome Defiance College 75-71 earlier in the evening. The Fighting Scots and Warhawks will take the floor Saturday, with tip-off slated for 7 p.m.

Wooster (24-5) struggled offensively right from the outset, scoring just seven points through the first eight-plus minutes, but its defense was up to the task as Grove City (19-9) had just four points during that same stretch. Right after the Wolverines pulled within 7-6, Brandon Johnson buried 3-pointers on consecutive possessions for a 13-6 lead, which seemed to help get the Scots going.

A bit later, leading 16-11, Wooster constructed a 14-2 run for a 27-13 cushion, but Grove City closed the half strong, and it stood 29-20 at intermission.

In the second, the Scots led by at least six points the whole way, however, they also couldn't shake the Wolverines. After seeing its margin dip to 33-27, Wooster extended it back to 12 (41-29). Next, Grove City scored five points (41-34) and then the momentum seesawed over to the Scots as they responded with six in a row, making it a 47-34 game with just over 9:00 to play.

The Wolverines had one last push, chipping their deficit to seven again (56-49), but then they missed on a transition opportunity with a little more than 2:00 remaining, and Wooster sealed the outcome by converting 7-of-8 free throws.

The Scots shot just 21-of-62 overall, including 9-of-35 3-pointers, which marked their fourth-lowest 3-point percentage of the season (.257), but made up for it by outrebounding Grove City 48-29 and playing a part in the Wolverines' shooting woes. They were 36.0 percent from the floor (18-for-50).

Both Bryan Wickliffe and Ian Franks matched personal highs with 15 and 11 boards, respectively, and they also scored 12 points apiece for double-doubles. Wooster's other player in double figures was Nathan Balch with 11 points, while Johnson passed out a game-high seven assists, hitting a milestone in the process with the 400th of his career. Noteworthy, the Scots are now 100-19 (.840) in games with Johnson in the lineup.

Point guard Brett Matson was a bright spot for Grove City, as he tallied 18 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists.

In the night's first contest, Defiance (23-6) built on a 31-30 halftime lead, extending it to 53-43 before Wis.-Whitewater (23-5) made a series of runs. First, the Warhawks came within one (55-54), only to see the Yellow Jackets build the margin back to as much as seven (65-58), and it was six (71-65) entering the final two minutes of play.

First, Wis.-Whitewater got a series of offensive rebounds and a 3-pointer from Phil Negri, and on its next possession, center Dustin Mitchell stepped up and hit an open 3-pointer at the top of the key to tie it at 71 with :37 left.

After a Defiance timeout, the Warhawks' Dupree Fletcher made a quick steal and then took it in for a reverse lay-up on the other end for their first lead of the half (73-71). Wis.-Whitewater would come up with another steal on the Yellow Jackets' final possession and added two free throws.

Fletcher paced four Warhawks in double figures with 18 points, while Mitchell added 17.

Defiance's Nick Sales put forth a valiant effort, registering 27 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, and five steals in the setback.