Scots Hit Century Mark, Sprint Past Terriers 100-69

WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster put together its most complete game of the season, running past visiting Hiram College 100-69 in a match-up of two of the three teams that were tied atop the North Coast Athletic Conference standings entering Wednesday night's action.

Wooster (10-4, 6-1 NCAC), now tied for first-place with Ohio Wesleyan University, outscored Hiram (11-3, 5-2 NCAC) by a 28-6 margin over the last seven minutes of the first half to take control.

With the Fighting Scots having edged ahead 27-20, Spencer Williams connected on his lone 3-point attempt of the night, then assisted a Reece Dupler jumper, and Jordan Stock and Milt Davis each sunk two free throws as the lead quickly ballooned to 16 points.

The Terriers stopped the 9-0 run, only to see Stock nail a 3-pointer, Dupler score a transition bucket, and Williams net a couple at the free throw line, which extended Wooster's advantage into the 20s (43-22).

Before the half was over, the Scots added another 7-0 stretch – an Eric Bulic lay-in, a Simon Texidor fast-break basket, and an Alex LaLonde – and they eventually entered intermission with a commanding 55-26 lead.

After Hiram accounted for the first five points of the second half, Wooster scored 10 in a row, including six from Stock, and never looked back en route to the 31-point victory.

The season-high 100 points were the result of 56.5 percent shooting from the field (35-for-62), as the Scots were frequently able to break through the Terriers' trapping defense in the backcourt, which led to high-quality inside shots. In fact, 52 of Wooster's points were in the paint.

Wooster's defense was very active as well, with the home team blocking seven shots and creating 13 steals while holding Hiram under 40 percent shooting (.379; 25-for-66).

All 14 players who dressed for the Scots scored, paced by Dan Fanelly's 18 points on 9-of-11 field goals. Also in double figures were Williams, Stock, and Davis with 13, 12, and 10 points, respectively.

Fanelly had a game-high eight rebounds, helping Wooster to a 42-35 overall edge in that category, and LaLonde passed out a career-best six assists without committing a turnover.

Kelvin Jones was the Terriers' scoring leader with 14 points.

Next for the Scots is a visit to archrival Wittenberg University (9-5, 4-3 NCAC) on Saturday, with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m.