On paper, the Fighting Scots’ game with Wash. & Jeff. appeared to be a mismatch, as they entered with records of 9-0 and 2-6, respectively. However, the Presidents were within striking distance of an upset down the stretch after coming back from a 17-point second-half deficit (59-42).
After seeing the margin cut to five (67-62) with just under 2:30 remaining, point guard Kyle Witucky made up for some uncharacteristic turnovers (six) by hitting a 3-pointer from the top of the arc, which gave Wooster a three-possession lead.
Wash. & Jeff.’s Patrick Stewart answered with a quick basket, but following one Scot free throw and a turnover by the Presidents, Witucky found Andy Van Horn open on a backdoor lay-up to put the hosts ahead 73-64 with less than a minute to go.
Wooster would then hit 6-of-6 free throws to wrap up its 10th win in as many tries this season.
Despite the slim final margin, the Scots never trailed in the contest. They scored the first six points, and later in the first half, used a 15-3 run to build a 14-point advantage (30-16).
Ahead by 10 at the break (34-24), Wooster was unable to pull away. The Presidents whittled the lead down to six on three possessions, but then at 45-39, the Scots exploded for what appeared to be a decisive 14-3 rally.
Jon Koch, who scored 21 of his game-high 24 points in the second half, keyed the 20-8 run, which put Wash. & Jeff. within two possessions, with nine points.
For Wooster, four finished in double figures, highlighted by senior Blake Mealer’s most productive game of the year. He posted his fourth career double-double with 12 points on 5-of-6 field-goal shooting and 10 rebounds, while Tom Port joined him in spite of an off-shooting night (4-for-15) with 10 points and 10 boards.
Matching Mealer’s scoring output were Matt Schlingman and Witucky, while Justin Bradley and Devin Fulk each chipped in nine points off the bench.
Stewart was the only President besides Koch to reach double figures, as he finished with 17 points to go with a team-leading eight rebounds.
In the night’s first game, St. Norbert (3-4) closed the opening half with nine-straight points to take a 36-27 lead only to see the Pioneers explode for the first 10 points of the second. It remained close until the 11-minute mark when Transylvania’s defense clamped down, allowing just one field goal the rest of the way as the Pioneers concluded the contest on a 22-2 run.
Joey Searle had 20 points and six rebounds, while Matt Finke tallied 14 points, six boards, and seven assists in the win.
The Green Knights were paced by Brandon Hansen’s 12 points and five rebounds as well as 10 markers off the bench from Eric DeJardine.
Thursday’s action begins with the consolation between St. Norbert and Wash. & Jeff. at 5:30 p.m., followed by the Transylvania-Wooster championship game at 7:30 p.m.