No. 1 Ranked Scots Score 21 Unanswered as Part of 95-76 Win

James Cooper

For the second-straight game, The College of Wooster started off slow, then exploded for a massive run of unanswered points, and rolled to a North Coast Athletic Conference victory, as on Wednesday, the Fighting Scots overcame a 30-18 deficit and topped home-standing Oberlin College 95-76.

This past Saturday saw Wooster fall behind 16-10 to Earlham College and the Scots responded with 16 consecutive points, eventually prevailing 84-62.

Oberlin (2-5, 1-1 NCAC) got off to an even hotter start against Wooster, which received the No. 1 ranking in NCAA Div. III basketball from D3hoops.com on Tuesday. The Yeomen made 10 of their first 16 field goals, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, to take a 12-point lead a little bit past the midway point of the first half.

The Scots (6-0, 2-0 NCAC) started their comeback with seven points in a row from James Cooper (Springfield, Ohio / Springfield South). After an Oberlin timeout, Wooster continued where it left off, as Andy Van Horn (Loudonville, Ohio / Loudonville) scored an old-fashioned three-point play, followed by two free throws from Tim Vandervaart (North Canton, Ohio / Hoover), which tied the game 30-30.

The next points came from Brandon Johnson (Columbus, Ohio / Groveport Madison) on a 3-pointer, then Cooper was fouled on a 3-point shot and made all three attempts from the charity stripe, and Tom Port (Avon Lake, Ohio / Avon Lake) added a 3-pointer for good measure, as the Scots had suddenly transformed the 12-point deficit into a nine-point lead (39-30) with just under 5:00 to play in the opening half.

Jerome Goings ended the Yeomen’s scoring drought with a couple of free throws only to see Wooster continue its hot stretch with back-to-back 3-pointers from Marty Bidwell (Middletown, Ohio / Bishop Fenwick) and Devin Fulk (Newark, Ohio / Licking Valley). Overall, the Scots closed the half on a 31-4 run, taking a 49-34 advantage.

Early in the second half, Wooster’s lead dipped below 10 points at 51-43, but three consecutive Vandervaart buckets inside keyed a 13-3 run that effectively sealed the game.

For the game, Cooper and Port shared team scoring honors with 17 points apiece, while four others also reached double-digits for the Scots. Despite an off-night (6-of-12 field goals, four fouls), Vandervaart had a double-double of 14 points and game-high 11 rebounds. Johnson and Fulk each tossed in 13 points, with Johnson dishing a game-high six assists as well, and Bidwell scored a season-high 11.

Oberlin’s highlight came from Quinton Spencer. He reached a milestone with his 1,000th career point, while scoring a game-high 20 against Wooster. In addition for the Yeomen, Jordan Beard had a hot hand, making all four 3-pointers he attempted en route to a 17-point night, and Mike Loll chipped in 13.

The Scots’ win sets up a clash Saturday night between national powers, as top-ranked Wooster visits No. 6 Wittenberg University (6-0, 1-0 NCAC). Tip-off in Springfield, Ohio, is set for 7:30 p.m.