Balanced, Efficient Offense Allows Wooster to Cruise Past Wabash 90-66

WOOSTER, Ohio – A fast start and a highly-efficient offense for most of the 40 minutes by The College of Wooster added up to a comfortable 90-66 victory against Wabash College during a Saturday matinée at Timken Gymnasium.

Wooster (14-5, 10-2 North Coast Athletic Conference), which shot 53.7 percent from the field for its second-best mark of the season, remains in a first-place tie in the conference standings with Ohio Wesleyan University.

The Fighting Scots scored each of their first four possessions, racing out to a couple of early six-point leads before Wabash (10-9, 4-8 NCAC) settled in.

Then with the score 14-9, Wooster put together another strong spurt, as nine unanswered points, including back-to-back mid-range jumpers by Eric Bulic, resulted in a double-digit bulge.

The Scots extended that 23-9 lead further to 31-13, and later in the first half it was a 20-point advantage (44-24). They eventually went into the break ahead 48-32, behind a sparkling field-goal rate of .621 (18-for-29).

Another strong start to a half – Wooster scored the opening five points of the second – pushed the margin into the 20s again, and the Little Giants never were able to get any closer than 19 the rest of the game.

By hitting 53.7 percent of their field goals (36-for-67), the Scots were able to overcome a fairly strong offensive game from Wabash, which produced a .442 shooting percentage from the floor (23-for-52).

Wooster's defense did help force the Little Giants into 21 turnovers, as the home team recorded 13 steals, with five coming by Dan Fanelly.

Fanelly also led all players in scoring with 18 points coming on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting (2-of-3 3-pointers) and a couple of free throws.

Spencer Williams chipped in 17 points, while Reece Dupler and Josh Kipfer each finished with an even dozen. Kipfer's came on a perfect shooting day – 5-of-5 field goals and 2-of-2 free throws.

Also of note, Alex LaLonde led the Scots in rebounding with six, and Mitch Balser and Milt Davis were credited with four assists apiece.

A bright spot for Wabash was Ben Stachowski, who posted a double-double of 15 points and 11 boards.

Wooster completes a three-game homestand on Wednesday when Kenyon College (8-11, 5-7 NCAC) visits for an 8 p.m. tip-off.