Scots Open Steve Moore Sunshine Shootout with 63-56 Win

WINTER PARK, Florida – With defense always a staple of a Steve Moore-coached team, it was only fitting The College of Wooster men's basketball team turned in an energy-filled, spirited effort on that end of the floor during a 63-56 win over Emerson College on the opening day of a tournament that bears the NCAA Div. III coaching legend's name.

Wooster's (6-2) hustle and energy were at the forefront of the Fighting Scots closing out Emerson (5-4). Junior Carter Warstler's elite vertical jump more than made up for a four-inch height difference against Nate Martin, and that resulted in Emerson's second-leading scorer having a crucial shot batted away with 1:15 remaining and Wooster protecting a 59-51 lead. Emerson faced great difficulty getting the following inbounds pass entered, with sophomore Jamir Billings and senior Najee Hardaway deflecting entry passes out of bounds. Later, Billings picked the pocket of 6-10 Emerson standout Jarred Houston, and the point guard padded the lead to seven at the charity stripe. Wooster maintained a two-possession lead over the final 17:36 of action.

Emerson's second-half scoring drought lasted until the 13:49 mark of the period. Offensively, Wooster strung together a 9-0 run during the stretch, while Emerson recorded five of its 21 turnovers. Billings added two steals to his haul during the scoreless 6:21.

Junior Elijah Meredith overcame first-half foul trouble to fill the scoresheet with 11 second-half points. He hit three triples and was 4-of-6 from the floor after halftime.    

In the first half, Billings pulled things together for Wooster, starting with a step-back jumper from just outside the paint at the first period's 15:44 mark. That bucket started Wooster's 14-0 stretch, which countered Emerson's game-opening 11-2 run. Warstler hit a triple that pulled Wooster within 11-9 with 14:34 on the clock, then Billings hit another of his signature pull-up, step-back mid-rangers that tied the game at 11. Junior JJ Cline's three-ball off first-year Vinni Veikalas' feed to the wing upped Wooster's lead to 16-11 as the first-half clock reached 11:24.

Later, Billings extended the lead back to five with his fourth step-back jumper of the afternoon. Emerson, which played without its 6-10 center for final 15:05 of the half due to early foul trouble, pulled within 28-25 at halftime, thanks in part to three starters, and five Scots overall, being whistled for a pair of fouls.

Billings' 14 points led all scorers, while Meredith and Haraway combined for 24 points, 22 of which came after halftime. Billings' six rebounds helped the Scots secure a 34-33 edge on the glass, and he had three assists and three steals.

Wooster overcame a 38.9 (21-of-54) field-goal percentage and received a big boost from the bench with 20 points, eight of which were scored by junior Nick Everett.

Houston scored 12 points and used his big frame to take the lead on the glass with a game-high 13 rebounds. Emerson shot 42.6 percent (20-of-47) from the floor, yet was just 3-of-14 from range.

Twelfth-ranked Calvin University (8-1) rolled past Augsburg University (2-8) 75-52 in Monday's first game. Calvin shot 49.2 percent (30-of-61) from the field and held Augsburg to a 34.4 percent (22-of-64) clip. Jalen Overway scored 14 points, while Uchenna Egekeze added 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for Calvin. Isaac Rabaey led Augsburg with 11 points.

Tuesday's schedule features a 1 p.m. championship game between Wooster and Calvin and a 3 p.m. consolation game between Augsburg and Emerson.