Late First-Half Surge Keys Wooster's 78-68 Win Over Thiel

WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster scored the final nine points of the first half, including a long 3-pointer by Doug Thorpe at the buzzer, to go ahead 40-28 and led by six or more points throughout the second during a 78-68 triumph over Thiel College Thursday night at Timken Gymnasium as part of the 49th annual "Mose" Hole/Kiwanis Classic.

Earlier in the evening, Hiram College utilized a strong start to the second half to cruise past Heidelberg University 88-77.

Due to two schools from the same conference (Hiram, Wooster) playing in the event, Friday's match-ups were predetermined and will be Hiram versus Thiel at 5:30 p.m., followed by Wooster hosting Heidelberg at about 7:30 p.m. Fans can gain half price off admission by donating a new or gently used clothing item.

Thursday's nightcap saw Wooster (8-2), ranked 19th in the latest D3hoops.com top-25 poll, score during each of its last four possessions of the opening half while limiting Thiel (7-3) without a point during the same time. Justin Hallowell fed Josh Claytor underneath for a lay-up, then fueled by a blocked shot by the 5-9 Thorpe, Hallowell converted a transition lay-up, assisted by Claytor, to match its biggest lead to that point (35-28).

After another defensive stop, Claytor followed up a missed shot with an offensive rebound and put-back while being fouled. He was unable to complete the three-point play, but then rebounded a second missed free throw by the Tomcats and got the ball to Thorpe, who eventually knocked down a 3-pointer from about four feet behind the arc right before the horn, and the Fighting Scots' advantage had quickly ballooned to 12.

In what turned out to be a foul-plagued second half, Wooster accounted for the first three points, extending its run to 12-0. Shortly thereafter, the Tomcats connected on three 3-pointers and were right back within 46-40.

The margin would fluctuate between 6-to-12 points the final 12 minutes. One of the key plays was a 3-pointer by Hallowell that gave the Scots a 72-62 cushion around the 1:40 mark. Thiel did manage to cut it down to six again (72-66), but Wooster made its last six free throws to seal the win.

Overall, the Scots attempted a season-high 38 free throw attempts, making 26 for a .684 rate, while the Tomcats also spent quite a bit of time at the line, going 16-for-25 (.640). The two teams combined for 52 fouls, 35 during the second half alone.

Rebounding was the difference in the game, with Wooster owning a 46-29 advantage, which resulted in 22 second-chance points to Thiel's 10.

Individually, Thorpe reset his career high in scoring for the second time in three games, this time with 21 points, nine better than his previous best. Hallowell contributed in a variety of areas with a dozen points, six boards, five assists, and three blocks, game-highs in each of the two latter categories.

Justin Warnes chipped in 11 points to the winning effort, Claytor collected a team-high nine rebounds, and reserve point guard Jalen Goodwin contributed with 23 valuable minutes off the bench.

Devon Adams and Anthony Harvey shared team scoring honors with 17 points apiece for Thiel, while Blair Rozenblad led all players with 10 rebounds.

After leading 36-35 at halftime, Hiram (7-3) opened the second with a 15-4 run and never looked back en route to an 11-point victory over Heidelberg (3-7). Jamaal Watkins posted a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds, and also added five assists for the Terriers.