Scots Create Three-Way Tie Atop NCAC With 79-63 Win Over Hiram

WOOSTER, Ohio – A combination of solid defense by The College of Wooster and ice-cold shooting from visiting Hiram College allowed the Fighting Scots to pull away for a 79-63 victory Wednesday night in North Coast Athletic Conference action at Timken Gymnasium.

That puts Wooster in a tie for first-place in the NCAC with Hiram and Wittenberg University, all with 4-1 records, and sets up another showdown between rivals Wittenberg and Wooster this Saturday night.

The Scots, 9-5 overall, got off to a quick start Wednesday, scoring 10 of the first 12 points, including back-to-back 3-pointers from Marty Bidwell (Middletown, Ohio / Bishop Fenwick) and Nathan Balch (Westerville, Ohio / Olentangy, which forced Hiram to call a timeout.

Soon after, the Terriers, who are also 9-5 now, rallied for a 10-2 stretch of their own to pull within 17-16. On the ensuing possession, Matt Fegan (Strongsville, Ohio / Strongsville) buried a 3-pointer, the first of 12 unanswered points for Wooster as the Scots built a 29-16 cushion.

The series of runs continued with Hiram scoring the next seven points (29-23), only to see Wooster reel off eight in a row for a 37-23 halftime lead.

The Scots maintained the double-digit advantage throughout the second half, first extending it to as much as 49-27 on a Balch 3-pointer. The Terriers did have one big run in them, cutting a 20-point margin (62-42) down to 12 on a couple of occasions (62-50 and 64-52), but then Wooster built it back up to 71-53 around the three-minute mark and went on to the 16-point win.

The Scots registered a season-low for defensive field-goal percentage, helping limit Hiram to .338 (23-for-68), including just .192 from 3-point range (5-for-26). The Terriers also struggled at the foul line, converting just 12-of-23 (.522).

Wooster made 45.2 percent of its shots from the floor (28-for-62), to go with another good night of free throw shooting. The Scots were 17-of-21 (.810), marking the third time in the last four games they have been over 80 percent there.

One of the few negatives for Wooster was its rebounding, as Hiram owned a 45-43 edge in that category, including 19 offensive boards.

Individually, Ian Franks (Greenwich, Ohio / South Central) led all players with 21 points and 11 rebounds, marking his first career double-double. Bidwell tossed in 14 points – his second-highest total of the season – to go with a game-high four assists, while Balch added 10 markers in the scoring column.

Chris Roberts paced the Terriers with 14 points, but with Bidwell defending him for the most part, he made just 3-of-14 field goals. Ian Pfouts chipped in 12 points before fouling out.

First-place in the conference will be on the line Saturday when one of the best rivalry games in college basketball returns to Timken Gym. Wittenberg and Wooster are traditional powers, as they are the two all-time winningest NCAA Div. III programs. Tip-off for their first meeting this year is set for 7:30 p.m.