OWU, Wooster Advance to NCAC Tourney Finals

James Cooper is fouled on his way to the basket in the second half. He made both free throws and finished the game with 18 points.

WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster built a 35-point cushion (77-42) before settling for a 92-80 victory over Wabash College in North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal action at Timken Gymnasium Friday night, and the top-seeded Fighting Scots will meet third-seeded Ohio Wesleyan University, a 57-52 winner over Wittenberg University, in Saturday night’s championship game.

During Friday’s second semifinal, Wooster (24-3) took an early 12-4 lead, highlighted by an alley-oop dunk by Tom Port (Avon Lake, Ohio / Avon Lake) from James Cooper (Springfield, Ohio / Springfield South). Wabash (11-16), the fifth seed, responded with six-straight points and it was still close at the midway point of the first half.

Leading 21-17, the Scots scored seven points in a row to build a double-digit advantage for the first time. The Little Giants pulled back within seven (31-24), but then Wooster ended the half on a 16-7 stretch to take a 47-31 at the break.

The Scots put any hopes of a Wabash comeback to rest early in the second. Wooster scored on 15 of its first 16 possessions of the half, as it hit 14-of-16 field goals during that stretch and increased its lead to the aforementioned 35-point margin (77-42).

The Scots continued to be comfortably ahead, leading 88-60 with approximately 5:30 remaining when Wooster sent in a squad of all freshmen. The Little Giants outscored that group 20-4.

Wooster’s regulars shot nearly 70 percent from the field (.679; 36-of-53), led by Cooper and Tim Vandervaart (North Canton, Ohio / Hoover). Cooper made 7-of-11, including two 3-pointers, as part of an 18-point game, while Vandervaart did not miss a shot, going 7-of-7 from the floor and 2-of-2 at the free throw line for 16 points. Brandon Johnson (Columbus, Ohio / Groveport Madison) tallied 13 markers in the scorebook.

No other Scots reached double figures, but Andy Van Horn (Loudonville, Ohio / Loudonville) chipped in nine points, Port produced a stat line of eight points, seven assists without a turnover, four rebounds, and two steals, and Evan Will (Dublin, Ohio / Dublin Coffman) also had eight points, in addition to a team-high six boards.

Andrew Zimmer and Chase Haltom paced Wabash. Zimmer scored a game-high 23 points, while Haltom made 5-of-7 3-pointers as part of a 19-point, five-assist effort.

In Friday’s first game at Timken Gym, Ohio Wesleyan limited second-seeded Wittenberg to just six points during the opening 15 minutes of the second half, as the Bishops overcame a slight halftime deficit (24-23) and constructed a 16-point lead (46-30).

The Tigers made things interesting down the stretch, though, connecting on six consecutive 3-pointers, including one by Gregg Hill with 39.6 seconds remaining and one by Brandan Barabino at the 30.5 mark, the latter of which made it a one-possession game (55-52). Ohio Wesleyan hung on for the five-point victory, despite some erratic free throw shooting over the final two minutes (9-for-14).

The Bishops’ post players, Dustin Rudegeair and Jesse Jean, led the way with 19 and 10 points, respectively, while combining to make 12-of-21 field goals. Noteworthy, Rudegeair stepped out and canned 4-of-4 3-pointers.

Wittenberg was paced by Dane Borchers, who set an NCAC tourney record in the losing effort with 20 rebounds. He scored 10 points on 4-of-6 field goals and 2-of-2 free throws while blocking three shots, and Hill and Barabino ended up with 11 points apiece.

Ohio Wesleyan and Wooster are scheduled to tip-off Saturday at 7 p.m., with the winner receiving the NCAC’s automatic bid to next week’s NCAA Div. III Tournament.