Wooster Takes Down No. 22 Heidelberg, 68-65

WOOSTER, Ohio – Senior Najee Hardaway sank two free throws with :11.3 remaining, then kept Heidelberg University's Seth Hohman from getting a good game-tying look off, and The College of Wooster men's basketball team capped the E.M. "Mose" Hole/Wooster Kiwanis Classic with a 68-65 win over the 22nd-ranked Student Princes on Friday evening at Timken Gymnasium.

Heidelberg (9-2) was within 66-65 on Emmanuel Perdue's free throws inside 12 seconds. Hardaway was quickly fouled by Perdue on the entry pass prior to padding the lead back to three. Hohman received a pass up top with north of four seconds remaining, and could not shake free of Hardaway, resulting in a step-back heave at the buzzer that fell well short.

Wooster (9-2), which beat its second nationally-ranked team in the last two weeks, had to withstand Heidelberg's comeback. Wooster's lead was 58-45 when Mose Hole/Kiwanis Classic MVP Elijah Meredith cleaned up his own miss at the 6:50 mark. Four consecutive Wooster turnovers enabled Heidelberg to close to 58-54 before Meredith's bucket following a Student Princes' turnover.

Sophomore Jamir Billings found an open Turner Kurt at the rim with 2:21 remaining, and the Scots' senior forward made it a 64-53 contest. Two three-pointers down the stretch helped Heidelberg get within a possession.

At the onset, Wooster jumped out to a 9-2 lead. Billings picked Tre Watkins' pocket on the opening possession, then junior JJ Cline capped the transition with a fast-break bucket. Meredith beat Heidelberg up the court on the next possession, helping Billings start with two quick assists in the process. Meredith's three-ball off a Cline assist capped the opening sequence.

Hardaway's triple in the closing seconds of the opening half gave Wooster a 33-25 lead at the break. Hardaway's fastbreak old-fashion three-point play had Wooster leading 29-17 with 2:47 showing on the clock.

A noticeable hustle difference that heavily favored Wooster extended the Scots' lead to 56-41 just past the second stanza's midpoint. All-tournament team honoree Carter Warstler picked the ball from Perdue, then the junior's pure speed let him chase it down before it rolled out of bounds down the court. Next, Cline saved a loose ball from going out of bounds on an errant Perdue pass and junior Nick Everett made the layup at the other end. Billings, who was the tournament's defensive MVP logged his eighth steal of the two-day showcase right after.

Meredith scored 18 points and led the Scots with eight rebounds. Hardaway followed in the scoring column with 12 points, while Cline and Kurt dropped in 10 apiece. Billings passed out six assists to go with six board and four steals, while Everett's positive influence resulted in eight points and seven rebounds.

Wooster shot 46.0 percent (29-of-63) for the game and outrebounded Heidelberg 45-32.

Isaiah Young and Perdue were named to the all-tournament team for Heidelberg. They combined for 30 of the Student Princes' 65 points. Eric Panning came on strong late to finish with 11 rebounds and eight points.

Heidelberg, which hit 16 three-pointers in Thursday's win over Albion College, was just 5-of-25 from deep. They did not hit a triple until the 1:20 mark of the opening half. Overall, Heidelberg shot just 37.9 percent (25-of-66).

Carnegie Mellon University, which had a 47-24 lead with 1:35 remaining in the first half, held on for a 92-89 win over Albion in Friday's first game. R.J. Holmes cemented his spot on the all-tournament team by halftime en route to finishing with 26 points, nine rebounds, and two blocked shots. Ken Thomas' efforts rallying back Albion did not go unnoticed, as he claimed the final all-tournament team spot after 23 points, 22 of which came after halftime.

League play resumes for Wooster (3-0 North Coast Athletic Conference) next week, starting with a 7 p.m. home contest against Oberlin College (4-8, 0-3 NCAC) on Wednesday, January 4.

E.M. "Mose" Hole/Wooster Kiwanis Classic All-Tournament Team:

Elijah Meredith, Wooster, MVP
Jamir Billings, Wooster, Defensive MVP
Carter Warstler, Wooster
Emmanuel Perdue, Heidelberg
Isaiah Young, Heidelberg
Ken Thomas, Albon
R.J. Holmes, Carnegie Mellon