Wooster 54, Ohio Wesleyan 50

Junior post Greg White (Centerville), junior guard Andy Winters (Columbus/Bishop Watterson), and sophomore post Reuel Rogers (Columbus/Bexley) scored 6 points apiece as Ohio Wesleyan built a 15-point first-half lead, but Wooster rallied to take a North Coast Athletic Conference win over the Bishops on Wednesday at Branch Rickey Arena.

Ohio Wesleyan raced to a 6-0 lead on baskets by Rogers, junior post Marshall Morris (Tulsa, Okla./Jenks), and senior wing Tim Brady (Dublin/Coffman), but Wooster closed to within 6-5 as Xavier Brown hit a 3-pointer and a jumper.

Wooster was still within 12-10 after a tip-in by Jake Mays when the Bishops took off on an 11-3 run that included a Winters lay-in, a pair of Brady free throws, a White 3-pointer, and a pair of Rogers buckets from the lane that gave Ohio Wesleyan a 23-13 lead just past the midway point of the half.

Junior wing Vaughn Spaulding (Reynoldsburg) also got into the act, contributing a fast-break lay-in and a tip-in, and when Winters hit the first of 2 free throws with 6:14 to play in the half, the Bishops had taken a 30-15 lead.

The Fighting Scots chipped away at the deficit, with Evan Pannell contributing a pair of free throws and a 3-point play, and after a basket and a free throw from Justin Hallowell and baskets by Josh Claytor and Brown, Wooster had closed the gap to 35-27 with just over a minute left in the period.

Ohio Wesleyan pushed the lead to 41-31 with a lay-in by sophomore wing Dre White (Lima/Bath) with 12:54 in regulation time, but Wooster held the Bishops scoreless for the next 4 minutes while collecting lay-ins from Hallowell and Ryan Snyder, a pair of Mays free throws, a pair of Doug Thorpe free throws, and a Hallowell 3-pointer that brought the Scots within 43-42 with 8:53 to play.

Brown's free throw with 4:22 remaining tied the game at 45-45, and Hallowell followed with a pair of baskets from the lane that gave Wooster a 49-45 lead with 2:13 left.

Winters sank 3 of 4 charity tosses to bring the Bishops within 50-48 with :38 to play, and after Wooster's Matt Fegan split a pair of free throws, it was Winters driving the lane with :13 left to bring the Bishops within 51-50.

Fouled with :10 left, Fegan hit both free throws to make it a 3-point game at 53-50.  Ohio Wesleyan had a chance to tie the game with a 3-pointer, but the Scot defense kept Winters from getting a good look at the hoop, and his desperation attempt with less than 2 seconds left was off the mark.

Winters led the Bishops with 16 points and 3 assists.  Rogers added 12 points, and Spaulding had a team-leading 10 rebounds.

Hallowell paced Wooster with 14 points and 15 rebounds.

Box Score