Ben Blotner
Senior Sports Writer
The Fighting Scots men’s basketball team went 5-2 in the seven games they played over winter break, dropping a pair of games in Mesa, Ariz. before returning home to sweep their next five contests.
“Our team made some very good strides over the winter break,” said Head Coach Steve Moore. “We did not play our best in the losses to Whitman College and Sul Ross State, but learned a lot from those games and improved as a result. We had some good wins during the remainder of the break. The players worked hard during the practices over the break, doing a lot of extra shooting, which has paid off.”
The first loss in Arizona, on Thursday Dec. 18, came at the hands of fourth-ranked Whitman College, which came back after Wooster took an early 8-3 lead. The Blues’ impressive run put them up 47-36 at the half. Despite Wooster matching their second-half point total, Whitman outlasted the Scots for an 89-78 victory. It was an all-around team effort for the Blues, as no player surpassed 12 points, but five different players scored in double digits. Wooster’s Danyon Hempy ’20 led all scorers with 19 points, and Reece Dupler ’19 contributed 15 for the Scots.
The next contest in Mesa the following day was a tightly contested battle, but Wooster fell just short against Sul Ross State University. The Scots got off to a strong start, again jumping out to a 9-3 lead before the Lobos cut their deficit to two by halftime. Wooster expanded its edge to as many as 10 points in the second half, but Sul Ross State rallied again. A late layup by Jezreel Griffin ’21 gave them a lead they would not relinquish, and the Lobos came out on top 88-84.
Back at home on Dec. 29, Wooster rebounded with a convincing 68-55 triumph over Ohio Wesleyan University. The team continued its trend of roaring out of the gate early, grabbing a 9-0 advantage, and this time it was not to be relinquished. The Scots led wire-to-wire, as four players reached double-digit point totals. Dupler again dropped 15 points, this time leading all scorers, and Hempy chipped in 13. Eric Bulic ’19 and Dontae Williams ’21 had 12 and 11 points, respectively.
The Fighing Scots received more of a run for their money against New Jersey City University the next day, but they were able to rally from a late 11-point deficit to avoid an upset. Trenton Tipton ’20 came up with some clutch shots late, as he drained a three-pointer to make it a one-point game and then sank a pair of free throws to give Wooster a 73-72 edge. The Scots would not give up the lead from there, ending up with an 81-75 win after trailing by seven at halftime.
In their first game of the new year, the Fighting Scots came up with their most dominating victory of the break on Saturday Jan. 5. Wooster led 22-7 early over DePauw University and only continued to expand the lead. The Scots made a whopping 12 straight field goals to give them 57 points at the half, and the onslaught continued in the second half for a 103-71 victory. Dupler and Hempy continued to lead the offense, as Dupler poured in 28 points and Hempy dropped 30. The 32-point margin of victory was Wooster’s second-largest of the season so far.
The Scots went on the road and continued to roll, downing Oberlin College 78-53 on Jan. 9. After the teams went back and forth for much of the first half, Wooster broke away to a lead of 10 at the half and did more of the same in the second half. It was another strong night for the duo of Dupler and Hempy, as they combined for 40 more points. Bulic also contributed 11, along with nine rebounds to lead all players.
Wooster played its final game of the break on Saturday Jan. 12, upping the win streak to five with a 73-65 victory at Wittenberg University. It was a come-from-behind effort for the Scots, as they trailed 36-28 at the half, but put together another comeback, taking a lead they would not surrender on a clutch three-pointer by Hempy. Along with the usual scorers Dupler and Hempy, who combined for 30 points, Bulic had a 15-point game and Keonn Scott ’21 dropped in 14 off the bench.
The Fighting Scots have stayed hot since the break with two more wins. Come support them at Timken Gymnasium when they face Wabash College at home on Saturday, Jan. 26.