Box Score
Ohio Wesleyan 77, Kenyon 64
Senior guard Andy Winters (Columbus/Bishop Watterson) scored 5 points and junior post Reuel Rogers (Columbus/Bexley) added 4 during a late 12-2 run that helped 24th-ranked Ohio Wesleyan close out a North Coast Athletic Conference tournament semifinal win over Kenyon on Friday in Wooster.
Ohio Wesleyan advances to Saturday's championship game to face the winner of Friday's nightcap between Wittenberg and Wooster. The winner of Saturday's title tilt will receive the NCAC's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III tournament. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
Kenyon had closed to within 59-57 on a 4-point play by Jonathan Amador with 5:13 left in regulation time.
Rogers answered with a jumper from the lane on Ohio Wesleyan's next possession, and after a Kenyon miss, Winters drove the lane and converted a 3-point play to extend the margin to 64-57.
John Bray's jumper from the lane brought the Lords back to within 64-59, but the Bishops countered with another Rogers jumper to make it 66-59.
The pivotal play came at the 2:26 mark when Winters was fouled and sent to the line. Winters hit the first free throw and missed the second, but after the miss, Winters controlled the loose ball under the basket and whipped it out to junior guard Taylor Rieger (Lewis Center/Olentangy Orange) on the left wing, and Rieger buried a 3-pointer that pushed the lead to 70-59 with 2:22 to play.
Ohio Wesleyan threatened to run off with the game during the first half, turning a 16-14 lead at the midway point of the period into a 36-18 lead with 3:26 remaining.
Junior wing Dre White (Lima/Bath) and senior guard Eric Easley (Columbus/Thomas Worthington) each scored twice as the Bishops pushed the margin into double digits, and 3-pointers by senior wing Anjuwon Spence (Cranston, R.I./Moses Brown) and senior post Marshall Morris (Tulsa, Okla./Jenks) made it 36-18, and Ohio Wesleyan led, 38-24, at the half.
Kenyon came all the way back during the first 6-plus minutes of the second period, holding the Bishops to a pair of Winters lay-ins while rallying behind the scoring of Amador, who hit one 3-pointer and was fouled on 2 other shots from behind the arc, turning those transgressions into 5 free throws. Julian Pavlin added a pair of baskets, as did Ikenna Nwadibia, the latter of which gave Kenyon its first lead of the game at 43-42 with 13:34 left in regulation time.
White scored all 6 points during a 6-0 spurt that gave Ohio Wesleyan the lead for good, hitting back-to-back jumpers and adding a pair of free throws that made it 50-45 with 9:19 to play.
Winters and White shared the Bishop lead with 16 points apiece, with Winters dishing out 8 assists and White sharing the team lead with 6 boards. Rogers finished with 13 points and shared the Bishop lead with 6 rebounds, and Morris collected 6 boards as well.
Amador led Kenyon with 15 points.
Box Score
