Scots Pick Up 10th NCAC Win With 80-71 Victory Over Ohio Wesleyan

WOOSTER, Ohio – Senior Danyon Hempy became the ninth player in North Coast Athletic Conference history to surpass 1,800 career points, and The College of Wooster men's basketball team took control late to beat Ohio Wesleyan University 80-71 on Saturday afternoon at Timken Gymnasium.

Wooster's (16-5, 10-4 NCAC) 7-0 run that started with 7:50 remaining proved to be the game-clinching stretch. Hempy cleaned up his own miss at the rim to start the stretch, while sophomore Najee Hardaway's fast-break bucket with 6:08 to go capped the run with Wooster on top 64-54. Ohio Wesleyan (11-10, 6-8 NCAC) pulled within six twice down the stretch, but each time Wooster had a quick answer. First, junior Keonn Scott knocked down a jumper from the wing that made it 68-60 with 5:00 left. Next, junior Dontae Williams fed the ball inside to Hempy, who went on to finish at the rim and make it a 70-62 affair with 4:19 left.

Earlier in the second half, Ohio Wesleyan hit four triples in a 4:22 span, including two by Ethan Stanislawski. That helped the Battling Bishops edge in front of Wooster 45-44 with 13:35 remaining. Ohio Wesleyan's two second-half leads were short-lived however, as Wooster junior Peyton Bennington knocked down the go-ahead bucket with 11:13 remaining. Two possessions later, Scott hit one of his four second-half three-pointers, which upped the lead to 52-47.

In the first half, Ohio Wesleyan's effective long-range shooters posed an early problem for Wooster's two-three zone. The Battling Bishops hit 4-of-5 at the game's onset and led 16-7 after Jack Clement's triple with 13:55 remaining. Wooster quickly switched to man-to-man the rest of the way. That drastically limited Ohio Wesleyan's three-point success, as the Battling Bishops went on to hit just 2-of-14 over the final 13:50 in the first half.

After falling behind by nine, Wooster was within 16-15, thanks to an 8-0 stretch. Hempy scored six of his game-high 28 points during the run. Headlining those buckets was a jumper with 10:55 left in the stanza, which marked career points 1,799 and 1,800.

Wooster's strong play during the middle portions of the first half continued with a second 8-0 stretch. Sophomore JG Gillard staked Wooster to a 23-20 lead when he finished through contact prior to completing the old-school three-point play. Scott's triple followed that up, and at that point Wooster led 26-20 at the 6:37 mark.

Two Ohio Wesleyan triples tied the game at 26 before Wooster went into halftime with a 34-30 lead.

Hempy complimented his point haul with five rebounds and five assists. Scott followed in the scoring column with 22 points, 18 of which came on three-pointers.

Williams factored heavily into the stat sheet on both ends of the floor. His nine rebounds, seven assists, and three monster blocked shots were all high marks for the game. Of note, his seven assists are the most by a Scot in a game this season.

Wooster shot 41.4 percent (29-of-70), was 15-of-16 at the charity stripe, and out-rebounded Ohio Wesleyan 46-30. For the second straight game, the Scots bettered their season low in turnovers, this time to five, with that marking the fewest since having five against DePauw University on January 5, 2019.

Stanislawski's 19 points led three Battling Bishops in double figures.

Ohio Wesleyan shot 43.5 percent (27-of-62) for the game. The Battling Bishops were 14-of-37 on three-pointers.

Next, Wooster hosts Denison University (8-13, 5-9 NCAC) at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, February 12.