Scots Win OT Thriller, 88-78, On Night Two of Mose Hole/Kiwanis Classic

WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster men's basketball team overcame a 13-point second-half deficit, and later took charge in overtime to defeat the University of Lynchburg 88-78 on night two of the 58th E.M. "Mose" Hole/Wooster Kiwanis Classic at Timken Gymnasium.

At the end of regulation, Lynchburg (8-3) star forward T.C. Thacker was whistled for a loose ball foul and fouled out with :32.7 remaining. Wooster (8-2) junior forward Turner Kurt tied the game at 75 at the charity stripe, then Lynchburg's Tharon Suggs' game-winning try in the final five seconds was off the mark.

Kurt's steadiness at the free throw line continued in overtime, with his two throws at the 4:05 mark going in the books as the go-ahead points. Next, senior Hamilton Johnson muscled in a layup, classmate Najee Hardaway drained a lengthy three-pointer, and first-year Jamir Billings knocked down a pair of free throws. In fact, Wooster went on a 10-0 run in overtime, as Lynchburg was just 1-of-12 from the floor in the extra five minutes. The Hornets' lone overtime bucket came on Suggs' three-ball with :36 remaining, but Wooster all but had the game out of reach at that point.

In regulation, Israel Lockamy's floater fell with 1:31 remaining, giving Wooster a six-point hole to climb out of. Sophomore Elijah Meredith was on point from outside the paint to cut Lynchburg's lead to four, then he made it a two-point game inside the final minute at the free throw line.

Wooster trailed for the majority of the first half, but did manage to take the lead at the 10:53 mark, thanks to two Kurt free throws. Hardaway followed with a step-back jumper that made it 18-15 at the 10:13 mark, then Lynchburg went on to open up a 10-point lead with 2:19 to go before halftime. Wooster trimmed its halftime deficit down to four, with Johnson stepping up with two free throws and Meredith knocking down a jumper in the final 82 seconds.

Meredith matched his season-high in scoring with 23 points. The sophomore went 9-of-17 from the floor, 3-of-5 from three-point range, and he was one of four Scots with at least eight rebounds on the night. Kurt followed with 19 points, 13 of which came at the charity stripe. He was 13-of-15 at the line and corralled nine rebounds, with five coming on the offensive end. Kurt's 13 free throws tied the single-game Mose Hole/Kiwanis Classic record set by Wooster All-American Ian Franks in 2008, and a total that was later matched by Whitworth University's Ben College in 2019.

Billings finished with a double-double at 11 points and 11 rebounds, and he added six assists and two steals. Sophomore Nick Everett chipped in 13 points, and Johnson came through in a big way for the Scots with nine points and nine rebounds in his first game with extended minutes this season.

Wooster overcame a slow shooting start to finish at 39.7 percent (25-of-63) for the game. The Scots hit 10-of-24 (41.7 percent) three-pointers and checked in at 82.4 percent (28-of-34) at the line. Rebounding was a huge factor in Thursday's win. There, Wooster more than doubled-up Lynchburg with a 51-25 edge, which included a 16-4 runaway advantage in offensive boards.

Suggs led all players with 27 points. He added four steals.

Lynchburg shot 43.7 percent (31-of-71) for the game, went 10-of-38 (26.3 percent) on three-pointers, and had 13 steals.

Wooster wraps up the E.M. "Mose" Hole/Wooster Kiwanis Classic against Muskingum University (2-8) at 2 p.m. on Friday, December 31. The game was added on Thursday morning. La Roche College pulled out of this year's tournament on Wednesday, necessitating the three-day format for this year. Additionally, Wooster's (4-0 North Coast Athletic Conference) game at Wabash College (9-3, 4-1 NCAC) that was scheduled for Monday, January 3 is now slated to be played on Tuesday, January 4. Tipoff for Tuesday's game remains at 3 p.m.