Wooster Pulls Away From Tiger Men's Basketball Late

WOOSTER, OH – Wittenberg Men's Basketball put a big scare into rival and host team the College of Wooster in a North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) battle Saturday night, Jan. 4, at Timken Gymnasium. Wooster, the sixth-ranked team in the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll and the pre-season favorite for the conference title this season, couldn't close the door on the sticky Tigers until the final minutes of the game before finally posting a 67-57 victory.

The Tigers, who dropped to 5-7 overall and 1-2 in the NCAC, held their ground through the first 30 minutes, but a 42-22 advantage in rebounding helped the Fighting Scots post a record ninth straight win in the series between the the two teams with the most wins in NCAA Division III history to improve to 12-1 overall and 4-0 in the NCAC. The win puts Wooster in the top position in the NCAC, just above Denison, which is currently 3-0 in the conference.

The game was nip and tuck after the first half that ended with Wooster securing a one-point edge at the intermission at 33-32. The two teams continued to trade buckets in the second half until the 10:32 mark. Tied at 44-all, Wooster went on a 23-13 run to finally close the door on the Tigers.

There were 14 ties and 16 lead changes in the game, typical for a series that now includes 130 all-time meetings, 51 of which have been decided by five points or fewer. Three Tigers scored in double digits, with Trey Killens (Cincinnati, OH / Mason) having a big night with 18 points, four assists, and five steals. Cameron Harrison (Eaton, OH/National Trail) added 13 points, and Eddie Brown (Lewis Center, OH / Olentangy Orange) had 11. Dawson Scott (New Castle, IN / New Castle) led the team in rebounds with six. He also contributed two assists, three steals, and six points.

Team totals for Wittenberg included going 20-of-49 for 40.8% from the field, 4-of-18 from three-point range (22.2%) and 13-of-19 from the charity stripe. The Tigers scored 22 points in the paint and 18 points off turnovers.

Leading the Fighting Scots was Jamir Billings with a team-high 28 points and three steals. Issac Roeder tossed in 10 points and Jaiden Cox-Holloway pulled down 14 rebounds. Wooster was 28-for-60 (46.7%) from the field, 7-for-22 (31.8%) from three-point land, and 4-of-9 (44.4%) from the line.

Next up, Witt will host DePauw University in another NCAC matchup on Wednesday, Jan. 8. Tipoff time is 7 p.m. at Pam Evans Smith Arena, part of the Health, Wellness & Athletics Complex.