Bishops Win Latest Thriller in Series Against Scots, 82-81

DELAWARE, Ohio – For the second straight game, The College of Wooster men's basketball team had a good look at a game-winning three-point try, but the Fighting Scots could not connect, with Ohio Wesleyan University winning Saturday's back-and-forth thriller 82-81 at Branch Rickey Arena.

Wooster (8-4, 4-1 North Coast Athletic Conference) senior Brandon Styers was fouled with :04.8 remaining in the game, and made both free throws to give the Scots an 81-80 lead. Ohio Wesleyan's (7-6, 4-2 NCAC) Henry Hinkle drew a foul shortly after the Battling Bishops' entry pass, and he matched Styers at the line with :04.0 on the clock. Ohio Wesleyan's point on Hinkle's first free throw marked the 13th tie of the NCAC clash, and the lead changed hands for the 26th time right after. The Scots did get the ball down to the corner after Hinkle's go-ahead free throw. There, sophomore Carter Warstler's buzzer-beating try bounced off the rim.

Saturday's instant classic featured five lead changes and two ties in the final minute alone. Hinkle, who saw limited minutes for most of the game due to foul trouble, buried a three-pointer to give Ohio Wesleyan a 78-77 lead with :47.7 to go. Scots' senior Najee Hardaway's bucket with about :29 left switched the lead back Wooster's way before Hinkle's lay-in at :14.8. Hinkle's lay-in marked the last points prior to Styers heading to the line.

Wooster junior Turner Kurt's tip-in with 4:50 remaining gave the Scots a 73-63 lead, with the 10-point margin marking the largest by either squad in the tight thriller. That bucket capped the Scots' 13-3 stretch that started after the Bishops' David Rice tied the score for the 11th time at 60 all at the 8:30 mark of the second half. Styers filled the scoring column during the run, first with a traditional three-pointer, then with three the old way on a hard-fought stick-back while contested, plus a free throw. Ohio Wesleyan responded with a 15-4 stretch that ended with the first lead change in the final minute.

An equally entertaining first half included 11 lead changes in the first 11:11, and 15 overall, with an additional six ties. Neither team led by multiple possessions until Kurt hit the second of two free throws at the 2:57 mark. Free throws were a first-half storyline, as Wooster hit 14-of-18 to Ohio Wesleyan's 3-of-4. Two more Kurt free throws inside the final 90 seconds upped the lead to 40-34, which marked the biggest by either side in the first half.

Warstler, who played his first extended minutes of the season, fueled the Scots' strong first-half closing stretch with a steal, fast-break dunk, three-pointer, and two of the 14 free throws. He went on to log three more steals in the second half, and had a handful of near-misses.

First-year Jamir Billings' season-high 25 points marked the high total on the afternoon. He was 9-of-18 from the floor and added seven rebounds and three steals. Kurt followed with 18 points, and the forward was a rebound shy of a double-double. Styers rounded out the Scots in double figures scoring at 17 points.

Wooster shot 40.6 percent (26-of-64) for the game, was 25-of-31 at the line, and only had one first-half turnover.

Hinkle dropped in 19 points, nine of which came in the final 80 seconds. Rice canned a quartet of triples, which accounted for most of his 19 points.

Ohio Wesleyan shot 51.8 percent (29-of-56) for the game and made 12 three-pointers to Wooster's four.

Of note, seven of the last 13 games in the series have been decided by five or fewer points.

Next, Wooster's slated to host Kenyon College (2-10, 0-5 NCAC) at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, January 12.