Travis Marmon
Sports Editor
For the 12th time in 16 years, the Wooster men’s basketball team won an outright NCAC regular season title last weekend in Timken Gymnasium. The Fighting Scots (20-3, 13-1 NCAC) earned at least a share of the title with a win over Ohio Wesleyan University last Wednesday and clinched it by defeating archrival Wittenberg University on Saturday.
Wooster had to stage a comeback against the Battling Bishops (17-5, 10-4 NCAC) last week, down as many as 13 points in the second half before going on a 15-2 run to force overtime. Xavier Brown ’15 tied the game with a three-pointer with 25 seconds left in regulation.
The Scots rode that momentum into the extra period, scoring 10 of the first 12 points and ultimately winning 74-67. Their defense had allowed only nine points from Ohio Wesleyan in the final 15 minutes of the game. Brown finished with 17 points, as did Josh Claytor ’13, who also added eight rebounds off the Scots’ bench.
On Saturday, Wooster had to withstand a comeback by Wittenberg (15-8, 8-6 NCAC) to clinch the league title. Kenny DeBoer ’15 and Doug Thorpe ’14 stepped up for the Scots by scoring 20 points apiece—more than half of the team’s points in the 75-71 victory.
Wooster played solidly in the first half. DeBoer scored 12 of his points before the break, and the defense held the Tigers to just 30.3 percent shooting to take a 35-26 lead going into the locker room. Wittenberg heated up in the second half, shooting 51.7 percent from the field, led by Zack Leahy’s 14 points and Scott Masin’s 12. The Scots got hot too, hitting 57.1 percent of their field goals, including 7-of-11 from three-point range.
Wooster’s shooting touch was most on display during a five-minute span late in the half, when the team hit five three-pointers on seven possessions. This gave the Scots a 67-61 lead with 87 seconds left to play, but the Tigers would not go away. Leahy hit a three-pointer with 35 seconds to go, making it a 69-66 game. Claytor then made a layup to push the lead back to five. Brown made a judgment error on the next possession when he fouled Leahy in the act of shooting a three. Leahy sunk all of his free throws to make it 71-69.
Jalen Goodwin ’15 made two free throws on the ensuing possession, increasing the lead to 73-69. Wittenberg turned the ball over with nine seconds left to play, and Thorpe made two more free throws to put the game out of reach. The Scots escaped their final regular season home game as outright NCAC champions once again.
Wooster played Allegheny College on Wednesday after press time. They will wrap up the regular season tomorrow at DePauw University. The Scots will host an NCAC Tournament quarterfinal on Feb. 19.