Box Score
Ohio Wesleyan 75, Defiance 62
Freshman guard Seth Clark (Lewis Center/Olentangy) turned in a spectacular shooting night and senior guard Taylor Rieger (Lewis Center/Olentangy Orange) and senior post Reuel Rogers (Columbus/Bexley) hit some key free throws down the stretch as Ohio Wesleyan defeated Defiance in the championship game of the Purple and Gold Invitational, hosted by Defiance College on Monday in Defiance.
Ohio Wesleyan closed out the first half with an 11-4 run, turning a 20-20 deadlock into a 31-24 lead at the intermission. Clark broke the tie with a lay-in, putting the Bishops ahead to stay, and sophomore post Matt Jeske (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard South) followed with a 3-pointer before Clark converted a 3-point play and Rieger knocked down a 3-pointer in transition to close out the run.
Clark converted another 3-point play and followed with a fast-break lay-in as the Bishops extended their lead to 38-28 early in the second half, and a jumper by senior wing Dre White (Lima/Bath) gave Ohio Wesleyan its biggest lead of the game, a 44-31 cushion with 14:17 to play.
Defiance got back into the contest by scoring the next 7 points, highlighted by a 3-pointer and a free throw from Bernard Edwards, and the Yellow Jackets were still within 6 points when Edwards hit a jumper from the lane to make it 66-60 with :52 to play.
The Bishops put the game away at the free throw line, going 9-for-10 from the stripe during the final 52 seconds, to seal the verdict. Rieger buried a pair of free throws with :49 left, Rogers snared a defensive rebound and sank a pair with :41 to play, and Clark hit 2 more free throws at the :30 mark, then 2 more with :13 to play.
Clark finished with a season-high 26 points, going 8-for-10 from the field and 9-for-10 from the line. Rieger added 20 points and led the Bishops with 4 assists, Jeske finished with 11 points, and Rogers scored 10 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.
Edwards led Defiance with 18 points.
Clark was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. He was joined on the all-tournament team by Rieger.
Box Score
