Balanced Offense, Solid Defense Result in Fighting Scots Rolling Past Tigers 85-56

WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster never trailed DePauw University on Saturday, combining a balanced offensive effort – five scored in double figures – with a solid defense for most of the 40 minutes to produce an 85-56 North Coast Athletic Conference victory at Timken Gymnasium.

It was a rematch of the 2015 NCAC Tournament championship game, however, both teams had much different lineups this time around. Due to significant graduation losses for both squads, only nine players who saw minutes that night – six for Wooster and three for DePauw – were on the court on Saturday.

Wooster (3-2, 1-1 NCAC) took control by putting together a 22-7 stretch during the first half that turned a 9-7 lead into a commanding 17-point advantage (31-14). The Fighting Scots began the run with a Josh Kipfer layup, Milt Davis fast-break conversion, and Mitch Balser 3-pointer, and they closed it with another seven unanswered points, this time Ari Stern hitting a runner, Alex Baptiste laying one in off the glass, and Eric Bulic delivering a 3-pointer.

DePauw (2-5, 0-2 NCAC) answered with its best stretch of the day, as the visitors cut the margin to single digits via a 10-1 run, then the momentum seesawed back. Wooster went into the break ahead 40-26 after accounting for eight of the last 10 points of the half.

Dan Fanelly opened the second with four points within the opening 45 seconds to make it an 18-point margin, and the lead reached 20 shortly thereafter.

Later in the second, the Scots reeled off 13 consecutive points to put the game away. That stretch stared with a Davis 3-pointer and finished on an old-fashioned three-point play by Alex LaLonde, which gave Wooster a 66-36 cushion at the 9:57 mark.

Overall, the Scots shot 47.7 percent from the field (31-for-65) to the Tigers' rate of .326 (15-for-56) and outrebounded them 41-30. On those 31 field goals, Wooster had 19 assists.

Baptiste and Fanelly scored 12 points apiece, and the former's nine rebounds and three blocks were game highs. Adding to the balanced offensive output were Balser, Davis, and Spencer Williams, each with 10 points, and Reece Dupler passed out a game-high five assists.

DePauw's Luke Lattner led all scorers with 15 points, but the Scots did hold him to five under his league-leading average.

Next Saturday, the Scots will be at the other Indiana-based conference foe, Wabash College (4-3, 0-2 NCAC), where they have only won once in their last four trips.