Tipton, Williams Log Career Nights During Wooster's 93-72 Win Over Denison

WOOSTER, Ohio – Several Fighting Scots broke or matched their career highs in key categories, while The College of Wooster men's basketball team turned in one of its strongest statistical performances during Wednesday night's 93-72 win over visiting Denison University at Timken Gymnasium.

Wooster (17-5, 11-4 North Coast Athletic Conference), which started each half with identical 4-for-5 ledgers from the floor, wasted no time avenging a one-point loss at Denison (8-14, 5-10 NCAC) three weeks ago. Senior Trenton Tipton, who scored a career-high 21 points, was one of several key contributors to Wooster's 23-10 start. The biology major hit a pair of early triples, with the second pushing Wooster's lead to 16-8 at the 13:34 mark.

Junior Dontae Williams had a double-double by halftime, and his play in the first eight minutes spearheaded his night. Williams cleaned up a pair of misses at the rim to account for four of Wooster's 13 second-chance points, while he had five rebounds and two assists in that stretch.

Later, Tipton poked a pass intended for Denison's Jack Olson toward midcourt, beat Olson to the ball, and finished the fast-break lay-in in stride. That sequence started a 12-2 stretch for the Scots, and Wooster upped the lead to 35-15 when junior Keonn Scott canned a three-pointer with 4:14 left in the first half. Tipton's spark carried over on the defensive end during the run, as sophomore Najee Hardaway swatted aside Ben Stern's layup, sophomore Khaylen Mahdi picked up a pair of steals, and senior Danyon Hempy added a steal.

Wooster's aggressiveness, in the passing lanes in particular, carried over to the second half. Scott knocked aside Will Hunter's pass with about 17:27 remaining, tracked down the loose ball, and then found a wide-open Hempy in the corner. The Scots' leading scorer cashed in with a three-ball, and that bucket made it a 54-27 game.

Near the homestretch, Hardaway muscled his way inside, scored at the rim, and knocked down his free throw. The Scots' Africana studies and education double major added to his highlight reel with a blocked shot with 5:00 remaining. Not long after, he logged a steal prior to Scott capping an 8-0 stretch with a three-pointer.

Williams matched his career-high with 25 points, while his 15 rebounds are a new career-high. The junior dished out five assists to pair with his three blocked shots.

Tipton went 8-of-13 from the floor on his career night. The senior added four rebounds and three steals.

Hempy rounded out the double-digit scorers with 21 points. The senior added six rebounds and six assists to his stat line. Of note, he moved up to fifth all-time in program history in field goals (660).

Wooster shot 54.0 percent (34-of-63) for the game and logged 22 assists. The Scots' 11 steals were the most in the last 13 games, Wooster's six blocks matched the team's season-high, and the assist haul was the most in the last seven outings.

Denison's Kevin Cheng scored 25 points to lead the Big Red. He was 9-of-13, which included a 5-of-8 showing from beyond the arc. Cheng had four of Denison's 19 assists.

Denison shot 41.5 percent (27-of-65) on the night.

Next, Wooster travels to fifth-ranked Wittenberg University (21-1, 14-1 NCAC) for a 7 p.m. game on Saturday, February 15. Wittenberg clinched at least a share of the NCAC title with Wednesday's 77-61 win over Ohio Wesleyan University. The Tigers can clinch the title outright and earn the No. 1 seed for the NCAC Tournament with a win on Saturday.

Vote for Danyon: Just a reminder to vote for Danyon Hempy in the Dark Horse Dunker competition daily. You can vote once per device per day at darkhorsedunker.com. The first round ends at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 18.