Ian Franks

Trailing by eight with less than 7:00 remaining, The College of Wooster outscored its hosts 16-2 over the next six minutes and then used some solid free throw shooting to secure a 71-68 victory to take the Radisson/Carnegie Mellon University Tournament championship Sunday in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Carnegie Mellon (3-3) was ahead 58-50 and even had a possession to extend its lead further, but the defense of Wooster (4-0) stiffened. First, Nathan Balch came up with a steal and buried a 3-pointer on the other end to begin the Fighting Scots' rally.

Teammate Justin Hallowell followed with a big defensive play and used that momentum on offense, blocking a shot, collecting the rebound, and then knocking down a jumper. Next, Wooster drew an offensive charge and Ian Franks got free for a lay-up, assisted by Hallowell, and all of a sudden the seven-point swing during an approximate two-minute sequence brought the Scots within one (58-57).

The Tartans halted the run temporarily, earning a trip to the free throw line where they made both, only to see Matt Fegan tie it at 60 on the other end with an old-fashioned three-point play. A defensive stop ensued and Franks gave Wooster its first lead of the second half with a basket in the paint.

As the clock ticked under 2:00, the Scots withstood a series of offensive rebounds and eventually regained possession, which led to a Bryan Wickliffe bucket and two-possession advantage (64-60).

During the final minute, Wooster made 7-of-8 free throws, however, Carnegie Mellon almost extended the game to overtime with a couple of late 3-pointers and a near-miss right before the buzzer.

Prior to the final two minutes, the Tartans led for the majority of the contest. They used 53.0 percent field-goal shooting in the first half to open up a 38-33 lead at the break. Early in the second, both offenses were cold, and the only time the Scots threatened to take the lead was when it was tied 43-43 and they had two scoreless possessions.

Statistically, the difference in the game was Wooster's rebounding margin (41-26) and proficiency at the free throw line. The Scots made 20-of-24 (.833), compared to Carnegie Mellon's 7-of-13 (.538).

Franks scored a game-high 21 points and also contributed eight rebounds and three assists. In fact, he led the team in scoring, rebounding, and assists each day of the two-day event, and was selected as tournament MVP.

Also on the all-tourney team was Balch, while Hallowell and Wickliffe provided valuable contributions as well. On Sunday, Hallowell scored 14 points and Wickliffe 11, and they both tallied seven boards.

For the Tartans, John Duhring led the way with 16 tallies in the scorebook.

Wooster opens North Coast Athletic Conference play against Hiram College with a home game this Wednesday, scheduled for an 8:00 p.m. tip.