Jeremy Ludemann
Senior Sports Writer
The College of Wooster’s men’s basketball team had mixed results this week, as they fell at home on Wednesday to Ohio Wesleyan University 62-60 and rebounded by defeating Wabash College 73-65 on Saturday. In the midweek contest, the Scots hoped to defrock the Battling Bishops and reassert their spot at the pinnacle of the NCAC standings after losing 78-74 at DePauw University on Jan. 25. Wooster got off to a strong start on the perimeter, with Doug Thorpe ’14 scoring 14 points in the first half and shooting 3-6 from three-point range.
Wooster’s domination on both sides of the court led to a 34-27 halftime lead for the Black and Old Gold. So, would Willa Cather’s notion about death coming to the bishop prove true for OWU? No. Adjusting to a 2-3 zone, the Bishops made it harder for the Scots to drive. Big man Reud Rogers was 7-7 from the field in the second half, and led the Red & Black comeback in the final twenty minutes of the contest. The Scots shot a paltry 3-11 from three in the second half, and only shot eight free throws. The Bishops controlled the tempo in the second half of the game. Rogers was a major factor in their efforts, dominating the inside with 17 points.
Thorpe hit a three-pointer with under three minutes left, giving the scots a one point lead. Ultimately Rogers delivered the heroics by converting a three-point play with under a minute to play, giving Wesleyan a 62-60 lead. The Scots had their chances at the end, but perimeter shots by both Scott Purcell ’14 and Thorpe clanged against the rim. Rogers’s 21 points and 13 rebounds paced the Bishops. Kenny DeBoer ’14 contributed a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds in the defeat, while Thorpe finished with 21 points to lead the Scot offense.
After the loss, the Scots looked to rekindle their perimeter game and strengthen their interior defense against an improved Wabash team. Although the Little Giants entered Saturday’s contest with a record of 5-12, Wabash was 5-4 in their last nine games. Ross Sponsler provided a boost to the Little Giant offense, as he contributed 13 points. However, the Scots were able to rectify many of the ills that led to the loss against Ohio Wesleyan and held off a final assault from the ‘Bash to earn a 75-68 win. The Scots, who were hoping to bounce back after losing for the first time since December of 2011, received another stellar performance from Thorpe. The senior guard contributed 20 points, while Xavier Brown ’15 handed out 7 assists to go with his 15 points. Wooster suffered a huge hit when Dan Fanelly ’17 had to leave the game with a knee injury in the first half, but DeBoer and Josh Kipfer were able to hold Wabash’s offense.
After the Black and Old Gold sprinted to a 36-23 halftime lead, they cannonballed their way back into the game with a 15-5 run to commence the second half. Wabash later took a 45-44 lead with twelve minutes to play. The see-saw battle continued as Wabash shot a staggering 58 percent from three-point range and 55 percent from the field, and would later take 57-54 lead with six minutes to play. The 11-0 run forced the Scots to regroup and Wooster’s Evan Pannell ’15 hit two three-pointers in a row, helping the Scots power back. DeBoer also got into the act from beyond the arc with just two minutes remaining. Wooster’s rebound and solid free throw shooting were good enough to give the Scots the 73-65 win.
As of press time, the Scots were in a tie with Ohio Wesleyan in the NCAC, as both teams were 10-2 in conference play as of press time. On Wednesday, the Scots hosted the upset-minded Lords of Kenyon College and they travel to Denison University tomorrow for a 3:00 p.m. tip off from Livingston Gymnasium in Granville, Ohio.