WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster men's basketball team was again unable to pull out a win in the final minutes, this time falling to Widener University (Pennsylvania) 72-68 on day two of the program's annual Al Van Wie/Wooster Rotary Classic at Timken Gymnasium.
Wooster (1-3), which played the third of four 2022-23 NCAA Div. III Championships qualifiers over the first five games of the season, was dealing with a 68-61 deficit with 2:12 remaining. An old-fashion three-point play by senior Nick Everett had the deficit cut to 68-64 with 2:03 to go, and junior Ashton Price's free throws had Wooster within a possession in the final 20 seconds. More Price free throws made it a 70-68 game in the final seconds before Widener's (4-1) Kevin Schenk extended the lead to 72-68 at the end.
Wooster played well in the first half, opening a 24-18 lead at the 8:14 mark on sophomore Jaiden Cox-Holloway's corner three-ball. That followed a possession where senior JJ Cline scored a second-chance layup on a pass from junior Jamir Billings. The lead was back at five at 27-22 on another Cox-Holloway triple, while Price's three-pointer made it 30-25 at 4:04.
Cline's driving layup tied the game at 46 with 13:16 to go, then Schenk's three-pointer gave Widener the lead for good. The Pride went on an 8-0 run to take a 59-48 lead at the 8:23 mark before the Scots climbed back within single digits on sophomore Isaiah Johnson's turnaround jumper in the paint with 6:25 remaining.
Price earned a spot on the all-tournament team after leading Wooster in scoring for the second straight day at the Al Van Wie/Wooster Rotary Classic. He dropped in 19 points and had three assists and three steals. Billings was next at 11 points, and the point guard passed out five assists and had three steals.
Wooster shot 36.4 percent (20-for-55) for the game and was just 7-for-27 (24.1 percent) on three-pointers. Wooster was 21-for-24 at the line for 87.5 percent, but was outrebounded 34-32.
Howie Rankine Jr. dropped in 16 points to lead five Widener players in double figures. Dominic Dunn, who was the Pride's representative on the all-tournament team, was one of four players at 13 points.
Widener shot 45.5 percent (25-for-55) and was 13-for-18 (72.2 percent) at the line.
In the championship game, eighth-ranked Hampden-Sydney College (Virginia) (4-0) rode 17 made three-pointers to an 80-66 win over Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Indiana) (2-1). Tournament MVP Davidson Hubbard scored 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while all-tournament honoree Adam Brazil was effective facilitating the offense to the tune of 10 assists and 11 points. Defensive MVP Joshiah Hardy added seven points, four rebounds, and two steals.
Rose-Hulman's Kobe Stoudemire earned a spot on the all-tournament team after a 15-point afternoon, as did Miles McGowen, who scored six points and had three rebounds.
Hampden-Sydney shot 44.8 percent (30-for-67) for the game, but was better on three-pointers, converting at a 47.2 percent clip (17-for-36). Rose-Hulman shot 43.4 percent (23-for-53).
Wooster has another tough test on deck, with a game at fifth-ranked University of Mount Union (4-0) up next. Tipoff on Wednesday, November 22 is set for 6 p.m.