WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster men's basketball team took command of the North Coast Athletic Conference standings with a 14-5 game-closing run in Wednesday's 72-64 win over Ohio Wesleyan University at Timken Gymnasium. The win broke a tie atop the conference standings, and Wooster now has a one-game lead with six regular season league games remaining.
Sophomore Jamir Billings' step-back jumper with 4:43 to go put Wooster (15-3, 9-1 NCAC) ahead for good, and the Fighting Scots upped the advantage to 63-59 when Ohio Wesleyan (13-6, 8-2 NCAC) left senior Turner Kurt open on the perimeter with 3:17 on the clock.
Wooster only managed three steals on the night, yet the final one came at the most opportune time. The Scots put extra emphasis on defending the three-point arc with :23 remaining, and that led to the Battling Bishops' Jack Clement electing to utilize a Grant Spicer ball screen and drive as he looked to up his game-high 26 points. Wooster junior Nick Everett wisely switched onto Clement to cut off the drive, while junior Carter Warstler scrambled back to the mix and picked Clement's pocket for a near-game-clinching steal. Everett secured possession and quickly got the ball to senior Najee Hardaway, who was fouled, then made two free throws to up the lead to eight. Hardaway secured the final rebound of the night when Clement's deep hoist inside 10 seconds was off the mark.
Six lead changes occurred in the second half, which started with Wooster leading 30-26. Henry Hinkle was on target from range, with his triple giving Ohio Wesleyan a 41-36 lead at the 15:36 mark. Everett's hustle and effort on an offensive rebound sprung Billings free for a driving second-chance layup that gave Wooster the lead back at 46-44 with just outside 11 minutes to go. Lead trades were in store on the next two possessions, first with Clement canning a three-ball, then with Everett finishing a stick back that was set up when Warstler deflected an offensive rebound out of the grasp of a Battling Bishop to the Scots' 6-8 forward. Wooster led by six twice before Tony Carter gave Ohio Wesleyan its final lead of the night at the 5:01 mark on a corner triple.
Wooster junior Elijah Meredith swished home a three-pointer at the first half's 14:30 mark that had the Scots up 13-9. On the play, the forward was open on the baseline, and rather than attempt a jumper, he simply dribbled backwards, took aim, and drilled the beyond-the-arc field goal. Later, one of Hardaway's signature driving layups upped the lead to 17-9, with that marking the largest advantage on either side until his free throws in the final seconds.
Everett slammed home two dunks in the closing 2:43 of the first half, the first of which featured a perfect lead pass from Billings that enabled the Scots' forward to get a step on his defender. The second dunk made it a 30-26 advantage, which is where the score stood at halftime.
Hardaway's 22 points were two off his season-high. The senior recorded his first double-double of the year with a game-high 10 rebounds, all of which came on the defensive end. Everett scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, while Billings and Kurt had 11 each. Billings passed out six assists and added five rebounds to help the Scots finish with a 38-27 advantage on the glass.
Wooster shot exactly 50.0 percent (25-of-50) for the game and went 18-of-22 at the line, with that being fueled by a 9-of-10 showing from Hardaway.
Clement's 26 points led all scorers, but he needed 26 shots to get there. In fact, he attempted 41.3 percent of Ohio Wesleyan's 63 field goals, but he did have a slightly better percentage at 42.3 than the team's 38.1 mark (24-of-63).
The Battling Bishops took exceptional care of the basketball with just seven turnovers, two of which came on offensive fouls.
Next, Wooster is off to Oberlin College (5-14, 1-9 NCAC) for a 3 p.m. game on Saturday, January 28.
photo by Anna Russell '23