WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster men's basketball team painted a pretty picture by dominating Ohio Wesleyan University with unmatched size and physicality down low, while an all-around defensive effort stifled the Battling Bishops all night long, as the Fighting Scots opened North Coast Athletic Conference play with a 79-42 win on Wednesday evening at Timken Gymnasium.

Wooster (2-4, 1-0 NCAC) scored 46 points in the paint and had just six field goals outside of it. The total domination inside really came to the forefront with 11 minutes remaining in the first half. Senior Nick Everett's layup started an 8-0 run that ended when senior JJ Cline's turnaround jumper in the paint fell for a 17-8 lead at the 8:08 mark. An Ashton Price corner triple inside the final minute of the half put Wooster up 34-21 and marked Wooster's lone points from the field over the final 11:44 that came outside of the paint. Wooster did have 10 points at the charity stripe in the opening stanza.

Wooster's 15-0 second-half run ended with sophomore EJ Kapihe's free throw making it a 68-34 game with 5:04 to go. Sophomore Jaiden Cox-Holloway's three-pointer from the top just before the 9:00 mark was Wooster's second non-paint field goal of the half. Kapihe finished through contact on the next possession and went on to complete the three-point play, while later, Price cut inside for a layup off an Everett assist.

Cline's career-high 15 points were the high honors on the night. The senior led the Scots with 11 shot attempts and was one of three players with at least seven rebounds. Everett followed with 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while Price (12) and Kapihe (11) rounded out those in double figures in the scoring column. Cox-Holloway's eight rebounds helped Wooster to a 47-32 rebounding advantage, while four of Cline's seven came on the offensive end and fueled the team to 18 second-chance points.

Elsewhere, Billings had four assists and four steals. He is now two assists shy of a top-seven all-time Wooster ranking, and he is rapidly closing in on a top-three all-time spot in steals.

Wooster shot 49.2 percent (29-of-59), and really turned in on in the second half, making 18-of-30 field goals for a 60 percent success rate. Wooster had just 10 turnovers in the win.

Landon Turnbull led Ohio Wesleyan (1-6, 0-1 NCAC) with 11 points, nine of which came on three-pointers. Ohio Wesleyan was an ice-cold 16-of-60 (26.7 percent) from the field and a dismal 6-of-34 (17.6 percent) from beyond the arc. Of note, Wooster held Henry Hinkle, a two-time All-NCAC guard and Ohio Wesleyan's leading scorer, to just two points on 1-of-9 shooting.

Wooster's 42 points allowed are the fewest since Saint Mary's College of Maryland put up just 35 in a game during the 2015-16 season. It marked Ohio Wesleyan's lowest output against Wooster since a 68-42 Scots' win during the 2010-11 season.

Next, Wooster heads to Denison University (3-4, 1-0 NCAC) for a 2 p.m. game on Saturday, December 2.