WOOSTER, Ohio – Senior Turner Kurt lit up the scoreboard against Denison University from beyond the arc again, and The College of Wooster wrapped up the first go-around with the North Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball programs with an 87-70 win over the Big Red on Wednesday evening at Timken Gymnasium.
Wooster (13-3, 7-1 NCAC) knocked down three-pointers on five straight possessions in the first half, and four of them came from Kurt. The 6-8 forward rained down his first triple of the night at the 4:47 mark following a steal by junior Carter Warstler, then sophomore Jamir Billings found the senior for three-balls on consecutive possessions. Billings took matters into his own hands for the fourth consecutive three-pointer, then went right back to Kurt, who upped his first-half scoring total to 19 and Wooster's lead to 42-37 with 2:31 remaining.
Denison (8-8, 4-4 NCAC) scored just once during Wooster's three-point barrage. Senior Najee Hardaway was on the receiving end of two offensive fouls whistled on the Big Red during the 17-2 stretch. Ricky Radtke stopped the run with a hook shot at the 1:44 mark that pulled Denison within 44-39, which is where the score remained at the half.
Denison started 5-of-8 from range, but was just 3-of-14 the rest of the way. One of the rare late makes came with 14:37 remaining, and that Scotty Dean triple gave Denison its last lead of the night at 52-51. Wooster junior Elijah Meredith responded immediately with two fast-break free throws, and the Scots' speed and transition scoring led to a 13-0 answer.
Billings parlayed his second steal into assist seven when Meredith beat the Big Red up the floor for a fast-break bucket at the 13:52 mark. Then, Meredith connected from range at 12:41, when Kurt returned the ball to the junior following his steal. Kurt had the next steal, and that one resulted in second-chance points, as first-year Isaac Roeder cleaned up on the offensive glass with a stick-back that ballooned the Scots' lead to 62-52 at the 12:04 mark. Meredith's second-chance turnaround jumper from the baseline capped the Scots' run.
Wooster's 12-2 run that started with junior JJ Cline's bucket set up by a Kurt tapped rebound-turned assist put the game out of reach. Hardaway's pull-up three-pointer following a steal by junior Nick Everett had Wooster comfortably ahead 79-58 with 3:55 to go, and the Scots' lead remained 15 or greater the rest of the way.
Kurt's 26 points were five off his career-high. The senior finished 10-of-16 from the floor, which included a 5-of-7 showing from beyond the arc, coincidentally, the same number of makes and misses from range he had against Denison in the last meeting between the NCAC rivals at Timken Gymnasium. Kurt's six rebounds were tied with Meredith for tops on the night, and the Scots' forward passed out three assists.
Hardaway followed with 14 points and three assists, Meredith scored 13 points, and Billings passed out seven assists.
Wooster shot 49.2 percent (31-of-63) and had assists on 23 field goals.
Radtke's 19 points led three Bid Red in double figures. Darren Rubin had the hot hand early with 18 points, but the Scots clamped down on him in the second half with just four of those coming after halftime.
Denison shot 51.9 percent (27-of-52) for the game and had 20 turnovers.
Wooster and Ohio Wesleyan University (12-5, 7-1 NCAC) remain tied atop the NCAC at the midpoint of conference play. The two teams are a game ahead of third-place Wabash College (13-4, 6-2 NCAC), while DePauw University (13-4, 5-3 NCAC) is in sole possession of fourth-place.
The second round of NCAC action starts Saturday, and Wooster opens it with a 3:15 p.m. home contest against DePauw.