Wooster Drops Regular-Season Finale in Heartbreaking Fashion

WOOSTER, Ohio – With plenty of former College of Wooster men's basketball legends looking on, senior Danyon Hempy delivered a legendary performance with the sixth 40-point game in program history. However, Steve Moore's final regular-season home game ended in heartbreaking fashion, as DePauw University's Aaron Shank hit a game-winning three-pointer with 2.6 seconds remaining in overtime in the Tigers' 88-87 victory.

Hempy's three-pointer from the right wing with 35.6 seconds left in regulation tied the game at 78. Wooster (18-7, 12-6 North Coast Athletic Conference) trailed by as many as eight with 3:27 remaining in regulation. Junior Dontae Williams hit both ends of a one-and-one, and senior Trenton Tipton knocked down a corner three-pointer to help the comeback cause.

DePauw (14-11, 11-7 NCAC) had three chances to take the lead in the final 10 seconds of regulation. Nolan Ginther's jumper was off the mark with about 8.3 seconds left, and the Tigers maintained possession after the ball rolled out in the corner. Ginther again had a chance for the hero role at the end, and Shank's try at a tip-in didn't come close.

In overtime, Hempy had a chance to win it for Wooster at the buzzer, but his runner hit off the rim.

Wooster head coach Steve Moore with his current and former players.

Wooster led by four at two junctures in overtime. First, Williams slipped past his defender, and Hempy was spot-on with the assist. Williams' bucket upped the lead to 85-81 with 1:47 remaining. Later, Hempy hit a jumper in the paint that made it 87-83 with 1:02 to go. Of note, that upped Hempy's point haul to a career-high 40, and it's the first 40-point game since Wooster alumnus Dan Fanelly dropped 45 against Lancaster Bible College in the opening round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament.

DePauw's three-point shooting factored heavily into the outcome, and was a key contributor to the pair of eight-point second-half leads obtained by the Tigers. DePauw, which was 18-of-31 from range on the day, hit 8-of-11 over the first 14 minutes of the second half. Caymn Lutz, Shank, and Luke Steinhart all contributed to that hot stretch with a pair of triples.

Wooster led 38-36 at halftime. Hempy's lay-in in the final 45 seconds marked the Scots' first lead of the game since the opening minutes. DePauw led by as many as seven at 20-13.

With his 40-point afternoon, Hempy upped his season point haul to 583, the seventh-most in program history. His 18 field goals (18-of-29) are tied for the fourth-most in program history. The psychology major added four rebounds and four assists to his stat line.

Williams had his eighth double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds. He was Wooster's high man with five assists.

Wooster shot 50 percent (33-of-66) for the game, had a 34-23 edge in rebounding, and logged assists on 20 of its 33 field goals.

DePauw's entire starting lineup was in double figures in the scoring column, with Ginther's 17 points leading the way. The Tigers' forward added a co-team-leading seven rebounds and a game-high six assists to his stat line.

The Tigers shot 53.3 percent (32-of-60) in the program's first win at Timken Gymnasium.

Next, Wooster hosts Allegheny College (14-11, 8-10 NCAC) in the quarterfinals of the NCAC Tournament. Tipoff on Tuesday, February 25 is set for 7:30 p.m. The Scots are the third seed for this year's tourney.

Vote for Danyon: Be sure to keep voting for Danyon Hempy in the Dark Horse Dunker contest at darkhorsedunker.com. You can vote once per day per device. The quarterfinal round ends at 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 26. Should Hempy advance to the semifinals, voting in that round starts at 1 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 27.