20th-Ranked Scots Hand Second-Ranked Wittenberg First Loss, Win 120th All-Time Meeting 98-86

WOOSTER, Ohio – There's one fewer undefeated team in NCAA Div. III, as the 20th-ranked College of Wooster men's basketball team convincingly knocked second-ranked Wittenberg University from the ranks of the unbeaten, with the Fighting Scots winning the 120th meeting in one of small college basketball's greatest rivalries 98-86 in front of a near-capacity crowd on Saturday afternoon at Timken Gymnasium.

Wooster (13-2, 7-1 North Coast Athletic Conference) turned in one of its best offensive performances in over a decade, as the Scots hit 63.3 percent (38-of-60) of their field goals on the afternoon. That's the best mark since Wooster went 42-of-62 (67.7 percent) from the floor during a 109-86 win over Earlham College on January 24, 2009.

One of the biggest matchups in the game came down low, where Wittenberg's (14-1, 7-1 NCAC) Connor Seipel – the national leader in field-goal percentage – squared off with Wooster junior Dontae Williams, who entered the weekend fourth nationally in the same category. Williams quickly had the upper hand in that matchup, as he started 4-of-5 from the floor, en route to helping Wooster jump out to a 24-12 lead at the 11:37 mark of the first half. In all, the Scots went 10-of-13 from the floor during the opening 8:23, while the Tigers were just 4-of-12 during that stretch, which included a 1-of-7 showing from beyond the arc.

Wooster sustained its hot start with sophomore Brandon Styers and senior Trenton Tipton knocking down back-to-back three-balls just past the first-half's midpoint. That opened up a double-digit lead for the Scots, which Wooster maintained the rest of the game.

Wooster's team speed took over from there, as sophomore Najee Hardaway capped a 10-0 run with a fast-break lay-in that extended the Scots' lead to 36-19. Later, sophomore Hamilton Johnson hit a pair of triples, which helped Wooster open up a 52-33 halftime lead.

Senior Danyon Hempy scored 15 of his game-high 27 points in the second half, and at one point, he scored nine straight points for the Scots. The psychology major started a 9-2 stretch with an old-fashion three-point play, and he teamed up with junior Keonn Scott for a two-on-one sequence that saw Hempy finish a fast-break at the rim.

Later, Wooster's lead ballooned to 27 points when Styers' third triple of the game made it 80-53 with 10:23 remaining.

Wittenberg had some success late with its press and pulled within 11 with just inside a minute to go.

Hempy went 11-of-15 from the floor and finished with four assists. Williams chipped in with 21 points and four rebounds. He was 9-of-12 from the floor and dished out three assists. Scott's six assists were the game-high, as were Hardaway's six rebounds and four steals.

Wooster made 12-of-22 three-pointers, was 10-of-12 at the line, and logged assists on 25 of its 38 field goals.

Rashadd Ali-Shakir's 18 points led five Tigers in double figures. Seipel, who came in averaging 16.8 points and 10.9 rebounds per game, was held to 10 points and five boards.

Wittenberg shot 49.2 percent (32-of-65) for the game, was just 9-of-26 from three-point land, and finished with a four-rebound edge.

Wooster's now ahead in the all-time rivalry 61-59. Saturday's attendance of 2,559 fans marked the 10th crowd of at least 2,500 in the last 11 Wooster-Wittenberg games played at Timken Gymnasium.

Of note, top-ranked Swarthmore College (15-0) and 12th-ranked Colby College (15-0) are the last two unbeaten teams in Div. III.

Next, Wooster's at Denison University (4-11, 1-7 NCAC) for an 8 p.m. game on Wednesday, January 22.