16-0 Run in First Half Propels Wooster to 74-52 Win at Wabash

A 16-0 run over a seven-minute stretch of the first half paved the way for The College of Wooster's 16-point halftime lead, and after weathering a mini Wabash College run early in the second, the Fighting Scots went on to secure a 74-52 North Coast Athletic Conference victory at Chadwick Court in Crawfordsville, Ind.

Wooster (4-2, 2-1 NCAC) got off to a fast start, with Alex LaLonde and Spencer Williams combining for 13 points as the visitors gained a 15-6 lead.

The key stretch, though, came after Wabash (5-4, 0-3 NCAC) pulled within 17-15. From there, the Scots scored on five-straight offensive possessions while holding the Little Giants scoreless, and later added   three more unanswered baskets in building a 33-15 advantage. The 16-0 run featured eight points from Reece Dupler.

At the halftime break, it was 39-23.

Wooster's Dan Fanelly accounted for the opening seven points of the second half, extending the margin to 23 points, but then Wabash put together a 10-0 stretch to close within 46-33.

Josh Kipfer halted the run, and the Scots later extended their lead to as much as 26 points (72-46).

For the game, Wooster overcame 1-for-15 3-point shooting and finished with a season-high .525 rate from the field (32-for-61). The Scots also owned a 40-30 rebounding advantage while limiting the Little Giants to 36.0 percent from the floor (18-for-50).

Williams's early outburst resulted in a game-high 18 points and he also led all players in rebounding with seven boards.

Fannelly contributed 15 points, plus four rebounds, three steals, and two blocked shots, while Dupler, a freshman guard, reached double figures for the first time in his career with 12 points.

Wabash, which was hurt by an 11-for-27 performance from the free throw line (.407), was paced by Daniel Purvlicis, who had 14 points.

Wooster will be off for final exams this week, then heads to Puerto Rico where it will play a pair of challenging games versus St. Mary's College of Maryland (4-3) and No. 21 ranked Salisbury University (6-2) on Dec. 20-21.