Wooster Takes Latest Thriller from Archrival Wittenberg, 83-80

WOOSTER, Ohio – College of Wooster junior Turner Kurt picked off a three-quarters court inbounds pass that sailed long at the free throw line with :02.8 remaining, and the Fighting Scots took the latest men's basketball thriller with archnemesis Wittenberg University 83-80 on Saturday evening at Timken Gymnasium.

Wooster (10-4, 6-1 North Coast Athletic Conference) upped its lead in the series between NCAA Div. III's two winningest all-time programs 63-60, and Saturday's classic marked the 49th Wooster-Wittenberg (5-7, 3-2 NCAC) game decided by five or fewer points and the 16th in the last 38 meetings.

Wittenberg was within one at 75-74 and 77-76, but each time Wooster answered, and the Tigers did not hold a lead in the final 15:51. Kurt got a piece of a Jeff Queen jumper with 3:29 to go that had it gone down, Wittenberg would have pulled ahead. Then at the other end, Kurt scored on a fast-break layup, which upped the lead to 77-74 at the 3:22 mark. Later, Kurt had the lead-padding bucket again after Wittenberg pulled within 77-76, then he came up with another block, this time when 6-0 guard Trey Killens tried for force up a shot over the Scots' 6-8 big.

Wooster first-year Jamir Billings led off the latest action-packed closing stretch in the rivalry with two free throws with :08.4 on the clock, and that upped Wooster's lead to 83-77. Wittenberg's Ridge Young's three-ball with :03.2 to go pulled the Tigers within three, and the Scots missed the front end of a one-and-one, setting the stage for Wittenberg's game-tying try. The Tigers looked to inbound the ball from the far baseline to near the three-point line, only to see Queen overshoot the intended area. Ironically, the game-clinching play was a repeat of the last time the archrivals met. In last season's second exhibition contest, Wooster's Tayler McNeal intercepted an inbounds pass at the end of the Scots' 81-78 win.

A 19-2 Wooster run spanning 4:41 of the second half was ultimately the difference, as the Scots overcame a 10-point second-half deficit. Four of Wooster's season-high 15 steals came during that stretch. Offensively, the Scots went 7-of-9 from the field, with senior Brandon Styers scoring the last six points of the run, the final two of which gave Wooster a 57-50 lead at the 13:44 mark.

The first half featured seven lead changes and five ties, but Wittenberg led for the majority, spending 13:41 ahead on the scoreboard. The Tigers' biggest lead of 13 came on Levi Boettcher's free throws with 1:25 to go in the opening half, and the Scots went on to trim the deficit to nine at halftime.

Billings headlined Wooster's statistical performances, starting with his assists. The rookie passed out his 10th on sophomore Carter Warstler's fast-break layup with 11:16 remaining in the contest. With that helper, Billings became the first player in program history with three games with at least 10 assists, and he is the first Scot to have back-to-back games with double digits. With 4:00 to go, Billings picked Young's pocket, and in doing so, tied Wooster's single-game program record with seven steals, a total last logged by Antwyan Reynolds against Wabash College in 2001.

Sophomore Elijah Meredith had his way with Wittenberg's bigs on the offensive end, scoring a season-high 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting. Billings backed that up with 15 in the scoring column, while Styers (14) and Kurt (10) rounded out the Scots in double figures. Kurt's five rebounds were tops on the team. Other key stats included senior Najee Hardaway's six assists and Meredith's three steals.

Wooster shot 49.3 percent (33-of-67) for the game, was 5-of-17 on three-pointers, and went 12-of-14 at the line.

Young's 27 points led all scorers. He went 10-of-16 from the field, which included a 4-of-7 night from three-point range. Boettcher joined Billings in the double-doubles department with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Wittenberg shot 47.4 percent (27-of-57) on the night, was 10-of-24 on three-pointers, and went 16-of-23 at the line.

Rebounds were even at 32 apiece.

Next, Wooster's at Denison University (5-6, 4-1 NCAC) for a 6 p.m. game on Wednesday, January 19.