Hempy Hits Game-Winner in Final Seconds, as Second Straight Wooster-Allegheny Game Comes Down to the Wire

MEADVILLE, Pa. – Senior Danyon Hempy knocked down a 15-foot jumper from the wing with 5.1 seconds remaining, and Allegheny College turned the ball over with 0.4 seconds left, enabling The College of Wooster to hold on for an exciting 62-61 win on Wednesday evening at the David V. Wise Center.

Wooster (4-1, 2-0 North Coast Athletic Conference) sophomore Drew Bishop secured a crucial defensive rebound with 13.8 seconds left after Allegheny's (5-2, 0-1 NCAC) Caden Hinckley missed a free throw that would've put the Gators up 62-60.

Junior Dontae Williams kicked off the thrilling final 90 seconds with a jumper from just inside the elbow, which tied the game up at 58. Allegheny's Jordan Rawls was fouled inside with 59.9 seconds to go, and the Gators' senior bumped his team back in front with a pair of free throws. Wooster junior Keonn Scott tied the game up at 60, thanks to a foul line jumper with 34.3 ticks remaining.

Neither team led by more than two possessions during a second half that featured six lead changes and six ties. Wooster's best stretch was a 6-2 run, that ended with junior Jaylen Franklin knocking down a three-pointer to put the Scots up 48-42 with 11:36 to go. That play was largely set up by Williams, who scored the Scots' previous seven points, and drew an instantaneous double team in the paint prior to kicking the ball out to Franklin.

Wooster was on point on both ends of the floor at the game's onset. Williams' full arsenal of offensive abilities was on display, as the forward connected on a jumper from the wing, a layup down low, and at the charity stripe during the Scots' game-opening 8-0 run. Defensively, Wooster's relentless pressure led to Allegheny starting 2-of-7 from the floor, and the Gators coughed the ball up three times during that stretch.

Later, sophomore Khaylen Mahdi did his part with an offensive rebound and steal not long after the first-half clock wound under five minutes. However, Nijon Kirkman drained a step-back jumper with 3:46 to go in the stanza, which bumped Allegheny ahead for the first time. Hempy's tip-in with 1:14 to go in the half pushed Wooster back on top 29-28. Junior Peyton Bennington took charge from there with a block, steal, and fast-break lay-in in an eight-second span, which bumped the Scots' lead out to 31-28 at the half.

Wooster's biggest first-half highlight came with 10:47 remaining. That's when Hempy slammed home a one-handed SportsCenter "Top 10" worthy dunk in transition en route to scoring three the old-fashion way. The psychology major went on to make the free throw to put Wooster up 20-16.

Williams' 20 points marked the team-high, while Hempy was right behind with 18. The duo combined for 15 rebounds on the night. Other statistical highlights included four steals by Franklin in 13 minutes of action, two key blocks by Bishop, and three Mahdi assists.

Allegheny, which played zone for a majority of the game, held Wooster to 34.3 percent shooting (24-of-70). However, the Scots secured 15 offensive rebounds and had 11 fewer turnovers than the Gators.

Rawls led all players with 22 points, while Jordan Greynolds corralled 10 of Allegheny's43 rebounds.

The Gators hit 48 percent (24-of-50) of their shots, but were 1-of-12 from three-point land. Allegheny turned it over 20 times.

Next, Wooster's home on Saturday, December 7 to take on Wabash College (5-2, 1-0 NCAC) at 2 p.m.

Danyon Hempy's #SCTop10 worthy dunk. Clip courtesy of Allegheny College.