Milt Davis

Reece Dupler

The College of Wooster steadily battled back from a 12-point deficit early in the second half and took the lead with about 2:30 remaining, then finished off an 82-75 comeback victory over Denison University in North Coast Athletic Conference play at Granville, Ohio, Saturday afternoon.

Wooster (16-5, 12-2 NCAC), which remains in a first-place tie in the conference standings with Ohio Wesleyan University, was down 40-33 at halftime and fell further behind to as much as 52-40 about five minutes into the second.

With a mini 6-0 run, the Fighting Scots got right back into the game and eventually made it a single-possession game (59-56) on a Reece Dupler lay-up around the 9:30 mark.

Shortly after, Denison (12-9, 7-7 NCAC) pushed its lead back up to five points via a 3-pointer from Andrew Castagnetti, and Wooster responded on its trip down the floor as Spencer Williams drained one from outside for his only made 3-ball of the contest, making it 63-61.

The Scots finally tied it up, 65-65, when Milt Davis dropped in a pair of free throws with 4:55 on the clock.

The comeback was far from complete, though. The Big Red regained the lead on the following series and the teams traded two points back-and-forth for a few possessions before the hosts sandwiched 3-of-4 free throws around a Wooster turnover to go up 72-69 at the 3:20 mark.

Quite possibly the key sequence of the game came next. The Scots scored seven quick points – a Dupler lay-up, a Williams jumper, and a Mitch Balser 3-pointer – while Denison turned it over once and misfired on a 3-pointer.

With a 76-72 advantage and 2:00 remaining, Wooster's defense helped complete the win. Alex LaLonde blocked a shot – one of four on the day for the senior forward – and three other Big Red attempts were off the mark, as neither team scored again until a couple of Josh Kipfer free throws made it a six-point margin with :30 left.

Davis split a pair of free throws at the :19 mark to extend it to a three-possession game (79-72) and just about clinch the outcome.

The Scots had been in front for the majority of the first half, but Denison grabbed the momentum, closing on a 14-4 run for a seven-point advantage.

The biggest statistical difference in the game was field-goal percentage, with Wooster shooting nearly 60 percent (.585; 31-for-53) and the Big Red under 40 (.385; 20-for-52).

As usual, the Scots produced a very balanced offense with five in double figures, paced by Dupler's 18 points. That marked a career high for the second game in a row for the freshman guard who had 17 in Wednesday's triumph.

Davis equaled his career-best offensive output with 14 points, which included 7-of-8 free throws, and Williams had 14 as well. Dan Fanelly chipped in 12 points to the winning effort, while Balser added 11 to go with a game-high six assists.

Denison's Jett Speelman made all 10 of his free throw attempts as part of a team-leading 16-point effort.

Wooster's challenging finish to the regular season continues Wednesday with a trip to third-place Hiram College (15-6, 9-5 NCAC). Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m.