Scots Win Big on Senior Night, 82-58

WOOSTER, Ohio – Senior JJ Cline's sheer determination to outhustle Ohio Wesleyan University to a loose ball led to a steal that sparked The College of Wooster men's basketball team's 27-10 stretch that put away the Battling Bishops early in Saturday's 82-58 win at Timken Gymnasium.

Wooster (18-5, 10-4 North Coast Athletic Conference) and Ohio Wesleyan (13-10, 8-6 NCAC) were deadlocked at 23 when the Bishops' Jessee Battle fumbled a pass to Henry Hinkle. A diving Cline nearly came away with the steal, only to see Hinkle gain possession. The Scots' hometown guard stuck with the play and knocked the ball loose from Ohio Wesleyan's top player.

Next, Cline was the assist man on the go-ahead basket, which was a senior Jamir Billings 3-pointer that came with 3:43 on the first-half clock. Junior Jaiden Cox-Holloway extended Wooster's lead to 28-23 on the next possession, thanks in part to the fifth of a season-best 10 Billings assists. Wooster's lead grew to 36-27 at the break, as Cox-Holloway knocked down one of his career-high six triples in the final minute.

Wooster kept pouring it on in the second half, as Cline found senior Ashton Price open for a corner triple that made it 39-30. Next, Billings found senior Nick Everett down low for a layup, and the lead reached double digits on junior EJ Kapihe's tip-in at 17:50.

Wooster's speed was no match for Ohio Wesleyan, as Price beat the Battling Bishops down the floor to finish a lead pass from Billings, with that layup upping the lead to 45-33. Wooster's lead hit 50-33 with 16:20 to go when Price again could not be caught by the Bishops chasing after him in transition.

Cox-Holloway stayed hot, hitting two 3-pointers in a two-minute span, and his fastbreak layup following a steal, handed Wooster a commanding 60-38 lead with just under 14 minutes remaining. Billings kept the fastbreak points coming when he deflected away a Landon Turnbull pass for steal three of the night, then he found Cox-Holloway open for yet another triple that made it 65-38 with 12:38 to go.

Later, Cox-Holloway hit a final triple at 4:00 to exit with a career- and game-high 28 points. The junior went 8-of-12 from the floor, which included a 6-of-9 mark from downtown. Cox-Holloway knocked down all six free throws and was second on the team with six rebounds.

Billings logged a double-double with 12 points and 10 assists. It marked his 10th career game with at least 10 helpers and first since passing out that many against DePauw University on Feb. 20, 2024. The senior point guard had three of the team's 10 steals.

Price scored 12 points, while junior Isaiah Johnson added 10 on 5-of-7 shooting. Kapihe's eight rebounds led the Scots.

Wooster shot 53.3 percent (32-of-60) and went 8-of-10 at the line. Wooster had 10 fastbreak points to none for Ohio Wesleyan and outrebounded the Bishops 39-25.

Hinkle scored 17 points to lead Ohio Wesleyan. The Bishops were just 7-of-29 from beyond the arc for 24.1 percent and finished at 41.1 percent (23-of-56) overall from the field.

Next, Wooster plays at No. 20 Denison University (21-2, 13-1 NCAC) at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 19. The Big Red beat Hiram College (6-18, 1-14 NCAC) 77-64 on Saturday to secure at least a share of the NCAC title and the No. 1 seed for the upcoming conference tournament. Wabash College (15-8, 11-3 NCAC) has a one-game lead on Wooster for the second seed heading into the final week of the regular season, while the Scots are currently third, two games ahead of Ohio Wesleyan and DePauw University (12-11, 8-6 NCAC).