Wooster Scores Final Eight Points in 59-51 Win, Advances to NCAC Semis

WOOSTER, Ohio – Justin Hallowell nailed a 3-pointer from the right wing with less than 40 seconds to go right after DePauw University had tied the game for the first time in the second half (51-51) and The College of Wooster added five free throws during the final moments to prevail 59-51 Tuesday night in a North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal match-up at Timken Gymnasium.

Wooster (22-4), the second seed, will next play third-seeded Ohio Wesleyan University (20-6) Friday evening in the first of two NCAC Tournament semifinals on the campus of Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio.

DePauw (13-13) scored nine unanswered points from the 4:23 mark to just under a minute left, tying Tuesday's game for the first time since it was 5-5. The Fighting Scots didn't panic, though, as on the ensuing possession, Justin Warnes found Hallowell open on the right and the senior hit the big shot, followed by a timeout with 37.3 seconds remaining.

Next, the Tigers took a quick, well-contested 3-pointer that didn't even draw iron. Wooster broke DePauw's press and Doug Thorpe had a breakaway when he was intentionally fouled at the 18.8 mark. Thorpe made both free throws, and with the Scots maintaining possession, Hallowell was fouled just over a second later and he sunk two from the charity stripe, suddenly putting the hosts up 58-51.

After another defensive stop, Warnes added one free throw for the final eight-point margin.

Despite the close finish, Wooster was ahead virtually the entire game. After a slow offensive start for both teams (12-10 through 10 minutes), the Scots used a 12-2 stretch to go ahead 24-12 with just under six minutes to play in the first half.

Wooster, though, only scored two more points before halftime, allowing the Tigers to pull within 26-20.

DePauw closed further to within 34-32 during the second half, only to see the Scots answer with an 11-2 run for their second-biggest lead of the night (45-34). Wooster couldn't put away the Tigers, setting up the final exciting minute.

The Scots did a better job defensively on DePauw than in their regular season meetings, limiting the Tigers to 37.0 percent from the field (20-for-54). Wooster shot 43.9 percent (18-for-41), including 9-of-21 3-pointers (.429), but committed 17 turnovers and was outrebounded 31-27.

Hallowell paced the Scots in scoring again, reaching 20-plus for the third consecutive game, as he tallied 25 points, including 4-of-8 3-pointers. Matt Fegan also made four 3-pointers out of five attempts for 12 points, while Wooster's third senior, Warnes, contributed eight points and four assists.

Connor Rich and Barry Flynn each connected on 6-of-11 field goals, scoring 16 and 15 points, respectively. Flynn produced a game-high nine rebounds.

Ohio Wesleyan and Wooster will tip-off at 6 p.m. on Friday.