Through the opening 14 minutes, Wooster (17-1, 8-1 NCAC) held the lead, but never by more than eight points. Then, after Allegheny (6-11, 3-6 NCAC) trimmed it to two (24-22) at the 6:40 mark, the Scots exploded for a 16-1 run over a 3:25 stretch, which included Witucky’s fourth and fifth 3-pointers and was capped by the first of two Tom Port dunks on the night.
The second half played out similarly. Wooster maintained a 14-to-17-point advantage during the early going, followed by another big run, which saw the Scots extend a 48-33 lead to 29 points via an 18-4 stretch. Matt Schlingman scored the first six points of that run.
Wooster would go on to freely substitute during the final six minutes, securing a 33-point margin.
On the night, Witucky finished with a game-high 17 points on 5-of-7 3-pointers and a pair of free throws, despite not taking a shot in the second half. The point guard added a game-high five assists and was one of four Scots to reach double figures, as Schlingma, Port, and James Cooper contributed 16, 12, and 10 points, respectively. Schlingman was 4-of-4 from the field.
Thirteen Wooster players scored in all, including freshman Evan Will, who scored four points, grabbed a team-leading six rebounds, and passed out four assists in 11 minutes.
Defensively, the Scots held the Gators’ top scorers, Matt Majzlik (18.4 ppg) and Casey McCloskey (17.9 ppg), under their season averages, as they tossed in 13 and 11 points, respectively. They combined to shoot just 8-for-30 from the field.
Overall, Wooster held a significant advantage in field-goal percentage, hitting 31-of-55 (.564) to Allegheny’s 20-of-67 (.299), as well as in rebounding (46-32). The Gators did hold their own at times defensively, forcing the Scots into 18 turnovers – 14 via steals – while committing just 15.
Next, Wooster will look to continue to keep pace with Wittenberg University (16-2, 8-1 NCAC) in the conference standings, on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 29), when it hosts Earlham College (8-10, 6-3 NCAC), currently tied for third-place. Opening tip is scheduled for 3 p.m.