WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster men's basketball team outscored DePauw University 30-13 over the first 9:30 of the second half, then made free throws late to hold off the Tigers 80-73 on Saturday afternoon at Timken Gymnasium.
Wooster's (14-3, 8-1 North Coast Athletic Conference) 16-2 stretch in the second half opened up a commanding 63-39 lead at the 10:30 mark. Junior Nick Everett emerged as a key factor on both ends of the floor, evidenced by Wooster outscoring DePauw by 17 during his 13:29 of court time on the afternoon. Everett scored the first four points of the 16-2 stretch before sophomore Jamir Billings was on the money on a two-thirds court lead pass to senior Najee Hardaway, who scored a rare fast-break bucket in the game. Billings' fourth steal of the afternoon followed, and Hardaway was on the offensive end again, this time with a cutting lay-in that had Wooster ahead 55-39 at the 12:32 mark.
Junior Elijah Meredith was dialed in from range, hitting 6-of-12 shots from beyond the arc as part of a 21-point afternoon. The forward pushed the lead out to 22 at the 11:15 mark with trifecta six in the game, and later, Everett capped the run with a lay-in.
Wooster went 7-of-8 at the charity stripe over the final 1:04, with three different Scots knocking down both of their respective attempts in that stretch. Junior JJ Cline upped his team lead in charges drawn with :35 remaining, and later utilized his quarterback skills from his days on Wooster's team to fire a perfect near-full-court entry pass to classmate Carter Warstler. Warstler was fouled after securing the catch and made both of his free throws, with the second upping the lead to 79-69 with just north of 30 seconds left.
Meredith's three-pointers helped Wooster to a 33-26 halftime advantage. The junior canned three in just over 11 minutes of first-half court time, with that helping him to a half-high 12 points. Everett, first-year Isaac Roeder, junior Brennan South, and Warstler showcased Wooster's depth off the bench, as the quartet had a combined plus-39 on the plus-minus report in the opening half.
Wooster took the lead for good on Warstler's free throws at the first half's 13:33 mark and those came during a 7-0 stretch. South knocked down one of his two triples to cap the run, while Meredith swished home a nifty turnaround step-back jumper from the baseline that tied the game at 13.
Meredith added five rebounds and two assists to his game-high 21 points. Hardaway followed with 16 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Billings finished at 10 points, five assists, and four steals, and moved within five steals of joining Wooster's top-10 all-time list.
Wooster shot 49.1 percent (28-of-57) for the game, was 12-of-29 on three-pointers, and knocked down 12-of-15 free throws.
Elijah Hales led DePauw with 18 points, while four other Tigers finished in double figures in the scoring column.
DePauw shot 45.0 percent (27-of-60), was 6-of-19 on three-pointers, and went 13-of-17 at the line.
Other key stats were fairly even. DePauw had a slight 33-32 edge in rebounding and both teams finished with 11 turnovers and five steals.
Next, Wooster and Ohio Wesleyan University (13-5, 8-1 NCAC) battle for sole possession of first-place in the NCAC. Tipoff from Timken Gymnasium is set for 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 25.