Scots Edge Huntington 58-54

Wooster's John Ellenwood had game-high's in both points with 19 and rebounds with 14.

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - In a battle of small-college men's basketball powers, the sixth-ranked Wooster Scots defeated NAIA-opponent Huntington 58-54 Friday evening in the opening game of the Kalamazoo Tournament, in Kalamazoo, Mich.

The Foresters, who came into the contest with a 14-1 record, had a chance to send the game into overtime, but Gabe LaGrange's three-point attempt was blocked by Wooster senior John Ellenwood (Sylvania, Ohio / Sylvania Northview) and teammate Bryan Nelson (Kettering, Ohio / Kettering Fairmont) came down with the rebound. Huntington had cut a 55-43 Scot lead down to three with an 11-2 run to create the aforementioned sequence.

In the first half, Wooster opened up a 14-4 lead on the Foresters, but Huntington cut the Scot lead to five towards the end of the half. However, Wooster scored the final 11 points to go into the break with a comfortable 33-17 lead.

Ellenwood led the way for the Scots with a 19-point, 14-rebound performance in 33 minutes of playing time. Freshman guard Ryan Snyder (Sebring, Ohio / Sebring McKinley) scored 12 points for Wooster on 5-of-7 shooting from the field, including a perfect 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. Junior guard Nate Gaubatz (Wooster, Ohio / Northwestern) had a strong game off the bench for the Scots, as he added 11 points and seven rebounds in 16 minutes of action.

For Huntington, Brett Snodgrass scored 17 points and dished out four assists before fouling out. LaGrange contributed 16 points and seven rebounds for the Foresters.

Statistically, Wooster held Huntington to its lowest scoring output of the year as the Foresters shot just 31 percent (20-of-65) from the field for the game, including 23 percent (7-of-30) in the first half. Offensively, the Scots hit 51 percent (15-of-29) of their shots in the first half, but dropped to 43 percent (22-of-51) for the game.

Wooster, which improved to 7-1 on the season, will take on the winner of Madonna and the host Hornets in the championship game on Saturday at 3 p.m.