SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Wittenberg senior post Jack Hemenway (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) enjoyed a career night. But when his three-pointer at the final buzzer hit almost every part of the rim before falling off, he and his teammates had nothing but a moral victory to show for their efforts in the latest installment of one of the best rivalries in all of NCAA Division III men's basketball.
The top-ranked Scots escaped Springfield with a scintillating 68-65 victory to push their record to 7-0 overall and 3-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference. Wittenberg, ranked sixth nationally, dropped to 6-1 overall and 1-1 in the NCAC.
This one was as good as advertised. There were 12 ties and eight lead changes, with Wooster forging the final advantage on a clutch offensive rebound and three-pointer by senior wing Tom Port with just 39 seconds remaining. That came on the heels of two straight three-point misses by Wooster after sophomore wing Gregg Hill (Redford, Mich./Union) had given the Tigers a 65-63 with 1:36 left.
The door opened a crack for the Scots when Hill misfired on a pass in the lane on the Tigers' previous possession. The Scots, with three straight wins at Wittenberg are the only NCAC team to win a game in Springfield since February 2000, had three players converging on a driving Hill, who scored eight of Wittenberg's final 10 points, and a quick pass to senior post Dane Borchers (Russia, Ohio/Russia) was mishandled. Port pulled down a missed triple try by Wooster guard Brandon Johnson, who led the Scots with 18 points, on the other end and then calmly stepped out to take the three-pointer in front of the Scots' bench.
Gregg Hill reverses for a nifty lay-up against Wooster.
Down one, the Tigers committed another turnover when senior guard Pat Denbow (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) was also unable to connect with Borchers on a pass in the lane and Wooster's Devin Fulk was fouled. After Fulk sank both free throws, the Tigers had one last chance, but Hemenway's three was inches from falling to send the game into overtime.
Hemenway still finished with a career-high 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and 8-of-10 from the free throw line. Hill added 18 points, including a 4-for-4 performance from three-point range, three rebounds and two steals, and Borchers had his fourth double-double of his phenomenal season, going for 18 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
Johnson led three Wooster players in double figures, and he also added a team-best eight rebounds from his point position. Port finished with 13 and junior wing James Cooper added 11.
Wittenberg shot a higher percentage from the field in the game, 47 to 40 percent, and held the Scots 24 points below their season scoring average, but two key statistics were a seven rebound edge for the Scots and 12 Wittenberg turnovers, compared to nine for Wooster. Both teams hit 16 free throws, but the Scots had three more three-pointers, part of 13-4 edge in second chance points. Wooster was held almost 20 percentage points below their season average on three-pointers, however, as the Scots hoisted 27 in the game.
The two teams will renew their storied rivalry Feb. 3 in Wooster.