Aleksi Pelkonen
Sports Editor
The College of Wooster men’s basketball team has started off strong with a 3-1 record in the early goings of the season. After defeating Oberlin College in the opening match of the Al Van Wie/Rotary Classic, the Fighting Scots disposed of Defiance College in the Classic finale, 98-63. The two wins gave the Scots a strong base upon which to continue the rest of their season. However, they would lose their next game against Marietta.
In the game against Oberlin, the Scots had five players in double figures en route to a 104-65 blowout. It was a dominating performance, as the Scots shot over 60 percent from the field and grabbed twice as many rebounds as the Yeomen in the game. The Scots were dominant in the paint, with 60 of their points coming inside.
Against Defiance College, the Scots’ offense was humming. The Scots had 23 assists on 37 made baskets against just nine turnovers. Wooster also played stingy defense, forcing the Yellow Jackets into 17 turnovers (12 coming off steals) and scored 25 points off of those turnovers. Forward Dan Fanelly ’17 was a perfect 10 for 10 from the field and five for five from the free throw line for a season-high 25 points.
Following the Al Van Wie/Rotary Classic, the Scots travelled to Marietta College to take on the 17th ranked Pioneers. The Scots’ struggled shooting from three, making just one of their 14 attempts, while the Pioneers shot lights out, making 12 of their 18 shots from three. The Scots struggled moving the ball on offense, with just eight assists in the game. Marietta would go on to win the game, 99-70. This would be the Scots’ first loss of the season.
Last Friday, Wooster won their third game of the young season against Saint John Fisher, 85-75. Guard Danyon Hempy ’17, in the first start of his collegiate career, scored 25 points to lead the Scots. Spencer Williams ’18 chipped in 21 points while also making a strong contribution defensively with four steals.
The Scots slipped from number seven to number 11 in the D3Hoops.com Top 25 national poll. A slight hiccup at the hands of a strong Marietta team (now number four in the D3Hoops.com Top 25 poll) hurt the Scots’ ranking. However, Fanelly, who leads the team in scoring through the first four games, says he is pleased with the team’s performance while acknowledging that they still have work to do.
“The team has really been focusing on discovering our identity,” said Fanelly. “But we have the talent and potential to beat any team we play.”
With the initial portion of the season underway, the Scots now will take on conference opponents Denison and Wabash. The Scots will host the undefeated Big Red (4-0) at Timken Gymnasium on Wednesday after press time. On Saturday, the Scots will travel to Crawfordsville, Ind. to take on the 2-3 Wabash Little Giants.
“We are working to identify the strengths we have as a team and what we can do to ensure that we take advantage of them in the future,” said Fanelly.
The Fighting Scots are looking to build on their strong start to the season en route to another conference championship.
