WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster men's basketball team rallied back, then surged ahead of a talented Ripon College squad with a game-ending 23-3 run in Saturday night's 83-71 win that capped the 2021 Al Van Wie/Wooster Rotary Classic at Timken Gymnasium.
Wooster (2-0) trailed 68-60 at the 7:48 mark, then junior Tayler McNeal started the comeback with an old-fashion three-point play. He drew an offensive foul at the other end, then had Wooster within three, courtesy of two more charity stripe tallies, with senior Brandon Styers keying the second-chance opportunity with an offensive rebound.
Ripon's (2-1) all-tournament selection Owen Theune scored the Red Hawks' final points at the 3:02 mark, with Wooster going on to score 13 unanswered down the stretch. Junior Turner Kurt beat his man down the floor in transition and made the go-ahead bucket with 2:12 remaining. McNeal secured the defensive rebound prior to the go-ahead score and threaded the needle with an on-the-spot pass to the Scots' big man.
Next, McNeal swiped the ball from Theune, then found first-year Jamir Billings, who promptly padded the lead to four on a three-ball. Styers kept the pressure up with a fast-break bucket in the final 90 seconds, McNeal went 4-of-4 at the line down the stretch, and Billings passed out assist No. 8 of the night in the closing seconds.
Wooster was having fun in the first half, especially just past the 16:00 mark. That's when Billings logged his fifth steal of the tournament and converted the fast-break layup at the other end. Senior Najee Hardaway did likewise on the next possession, capping his highlight with a fast-break dunk that put Wooster up 11-4 at the 15:32 mark.
Later, sophomore Jake Hoffman contributed in a big way off the bench with a fast-break layup, and the Scots' team speed was too much, as Styers slammed home his second collegiate dunk on the next possession. Steals-to-fast-break points was Wooster's go-to in the first half, as Kurt stole the ball from Jaylen Mahone prior to Hoffman's lay-in, and Billings picked Luke Meinholz ahead of Styers' dunk. The latter fast-break points upped Wooster's lead to 24-15 just before the first-half's midpoint.
Ripon's 9-0 run sent both teams into halftime deadlocked at 39.
Billings earned Al Van Wie/Wooster Rotary Classic MVP honors after an impressive debut weekend. His line on Saturday included a team-leading 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting, a 5-of-10 ledger from three-point range, a game-high eight assists, and a game-high four steals. On the weekend, Billings scored 28 points, passed out 14 assists, and logged seven steals. His 14 assists are tied for the third-most in Al Van Wie/Wooster Rotary Classic history, and it is the top total since University of Mount Union's Sean King's 14 in 2006.
Hardaway earned Al Van Wie/Wooster Rotary Classic Defensive MVP honors. He finished at six steals on the weekend, and the senior dropped 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting on Saturday. Styers rounded out the Scots on the all-tournament team. He went 7-of-10 from the floor Saturday en route to 15 points, and averaged a team-high 18.5 points on the weekend.
Other stats to note from Saturday's win included McNeal's 8-of-10 performance at the charity stripe, his team-leading six rebounds, and a team-high seven drawn fouls.
Theune led all players with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Ryan Steffes joined Theune on the all-tournament team. He had 17 points, five rebounds, and three steals.
Wooster shot 50.0 percent (30-of-60), had assists on 19-of-30 field goals, and shot 10-of-26 from three-point range.
Ripon shot 45.5 percent (25-of-55), was 6-of-17 on three-pointers, and had a four-rebound advantage.
Of note, Wooster had Ripon star center David DeValk in foul trouble most of the night. He posted a double-double in Friday's game, but played just 7:20 in Saturday's.
Spalding University rallied back to take the consolation game from Saint Vincent College 67-63. Spalding's Christian Stewart earned a spot on the all-tournament team after leading the team with 22 points and 12 rebounds. The Bearcats' Ethan Dunsey also earned all-tournament team honors. He scored a game-high 25 points on 11-of-14 shooting and added seven rebounds to his Saturday evening stat line.
Of note, Wooster is now 46-7 all-time in the Al Van Wie/Wooster Rotary Classic.
Next, Wooster's at No. 21 University of Mount Union (3-0) for a 6 p.m. game on Wednesday, November 24.
2021 Al Van Wie/Wooster Rotary Classic All-Tournament Team:
MVP: Jamir Billings, Wooster
Defensive MVP: Najee Hardaway, Wooster
All-Tournament Team: Brandon Styers, Wooster; Owen Theune, Ripon; Ryan Steffes, Ripon; Ethan Dunsey, St. Vincent; Christian Stewart, Spalding