CRAWFORDSVILLE, Indiana – Two of NCAA basketball's most impressive streaks likely came to an end on Saturday afternoon with 16th-ranked Wabash College winning a thrilling North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament championship game in overtime over The College of Wooster men's basketball team 85-84 at Chadwick Court.
The loss likely ended Wooster's season at 19-9, snapping the program's simply remarkable run of 24 consecutive 20-win seasons. Additionally, Wooster is unlikely to receive an at-large bid to next week's NCAA Div. III Championships, ending the program's Div. III record of consecutive berths at 18 straight, a mark that is the seventh-longest stretch in NCAA men's basketball history. Wooster does carry a 33-year run of winning at least 18 games into the 2022-23 season.
Wabash (24-3), which won its first-ever NCAC Tournament title, enters next week's Div. III Championships with a 20-game winning streak. The Little Giants' Amoni Jones clinched the victory with two free throws with :01.4 on the clock, as Wabash led 85-81 at that point. Jack Davidson, the Al Van Wie Most Outstanding Player, gave Wabash the lead on two free throws with :41 to go. Wooster sophomore JJ Cline, a backup quarterback on the football team, found junior Turner Kurt near the free throw line in the final second. Kurt was able to deflect the pass to senior Brandon Styers, who buried a triple at the buzzer.
Sophomore Nick Everett, Wooster's other all-tournament honoree, handled a pressure-packed situation to perfection, enabling the Scots to get to overtime. The forward finished through contact with :48 remaining, then calmly sank a game-tying free throw in front of Wabash's raucous student section. Wooster actually had a chance to take the lead, thanks to senior Hamilton Johnson's steal on Wabash's Tyler Watson, but the Scots could not convert a three-pointer. Davidson's game-winner in regulation was off the mark, as Wooster's defense rallied to force an off-balance shot from the Little Giants' star.
Wooster's heart and never-quit-attitude was on full display throughout the game, with the Scots twice overcoming a double-digit deficit. Wabash opened a 12-point lead in the first half, which Wooster finally overtook with 15:51 to go in regulation. Senior Najee Hardaway hit two triples and made two free throws during a 10-0 Wooster run, the second of which pushed the Scots ahead 44-43.
An 11-0 Wabash stretch answered Wooster's run, and that saw the Little Giants take a 55-44 lead on Davidson's triple. Wooster needed until the 2:14 mark to overcome that deficit. Everett's big-time NCAC Tournament contributions continued with his turnaround jumper falling, giving Wooster a 68-66 edge. Meredith tied the score at 70 on a pull up jumper before Jones scored three the old way setting the stage for Everett's answer-back.
Wooster was efficient early, hitting 8-of-9 field goals during one stretch. Wooster's ability to cut to the basket and finish troubled Wabash at the onset. Styers had one of those buckets, the eighth in the stretch, and Wooster led 18-13 at the 12:44 mark. Later, Davidson started to heat up, finding the scoresheet for the first time at 7:53 of the opening stanza, and his points, plus a first-half-high 16 from Watson staked Wabash to a 43-34 lead.
Hardaway led five Scots in double figures with 18 points and he dished out five assists. Meredith was right behind at 17 points, while Styers (14), Everett (13), and Kurt (10) were the others in double figures. Kurt's nine rebounds were the team-high, while Billings matched Hardaway with five assists. Of note, Billings finished two assists shy of Sam Dixon's record of 166 set during the 1978-79 season.
Wooster shot 50.0 percent (33-of-66), was 9-of-23 on three-pointers, and went 9-of-14 at the line.
Davidson's 28 points led all scorers, and he had a double-double, thanks to 12 rebounds. Watson, who was named to the all-tournament team, did not score after halftime.
Wabash shot 45.5 percent (30-of-66), was 8-of-20 on three-pointers, and went 17-of-19 at the charity stripe. The Little Giants had a slight 38-35 rebounding edge.
Wooster made its 28th appearance all-time in the NCAC Tournament championship and is now 17-11 in those games.
Of note, Wabash is the first team to beat Wooster three times in a season since Wittenberg University did so in 2001-02. Coincidentally, 2002 marked Wooster's last miss in the national tournament.
DePauw University's Elijah Hales and Denison University's Tyler Miller rounded out the all-tournament team.