Mitch Balser

Spencer Williams

WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster overcame an early deficit by making seven consecutive 3-pointers midway through the opening half, and a season-high 13 for the game, then the Fighting Scots rolled to an 89-60 victory over Allegheny College on Wednesday night at Timken Gymnasium.

Wooster (11-5, 7-2 NCAC) trailed by seven a couple of times due to a scoreless stretch of five-plus minutes. With the score 16-9, Milt Davis sparked the Scots' 3-point shooting spree by draining one from the right side, and Spencer Williams followed with one the next time down the court, which cut the deficit to one.

After Allegheny (2-14, 2-7 NCAC) opened back up a 22-18 advantage, Wooster really got hot from outside, connecting on 3-pointers on five successive possessions – three by Mitch Balser and one apiece from Jordan Stock and Williams.

That flurry put the Scots ahead 33-29 and they continued to build upon their lead the final four minutes of the half, extending it to 44-33.

The Gators knocked down a 3-pointer within the opening minute of the second half, then it was all Wooster as the hosts ran off 12-straight points during a five-possession stretch for a 56-36 cushion.

The Scots went on to lead by as much as 38 (85-47) before finishing up with a 29-point win.

Wooster shot an even 50 percent from the field (29-for-58) and nearly as well from 3-point range (.448; 13-for-29), while Allegheny cooled off dramatically during the second half, as its rate from the floor went from .583 (14-for-24) the first 20 minutes to .276 (8-for-29).

The Scots' defense also came up with 13 steals off of 18 Gator turnovers and blocked eight shots.

Williams netted all three of his 3-point attempts as part of a game-high 18 points, while Balser was 5-for-6 from outside en route to a 17-point night during his first career start. The backcourt duo also combined for 11 assists – six for Williams and five for Balser – compared to one turnover. Williams's impressive stat line also included a career-high four steals.

Fanelly contributed 16 points, a team-high six rebounds, three blocks, and three steals to the win, while Reece Dupler added 11 points.

For Allegheny, Brandon Smith and Billy Urso combined to shoot 11-for-13 in the first half, but 1-for-9 in the second as they tallied 16 and 14 points, respectively.

On Saturday, Wooster will be in Indiana for what has been a challenging match-up at DePauw University (6-10, 2-7 NCAC). Since the Tigers joined the NCAC, the Scots are 1-3 in games played there.