Box Score
Ohio Wesleyan 63, Hiram 61
Senior wing Anjuwon Spence (Cranston, R.I./Moses Brown) buried a 3-pointer with :04.4 remaining to give the Bishops the lead, and Ohio Wesleyan withstood a final Hiram threat to hold on for a North Coast Athletic Conference victory over the Terriers on Saturday at Branch Rickey Arena.
Hiram had taken a 59-54 lead on Aaron Stefanov's lay-in with 1:56 left in regulation time.
Senior guard Andy Winters (Columbus/Bishop Watterson) answered with a 3-pointer on Ohio Wesleyan's next possession, but the Terriers got a critical basket when Stefanov hit a fallaway jumper from the right baseline as the shot clock expired, giving Hiram a 61-57 lead with :58 to play.
Junior guard Taylor Rieger (Lewis Center/Olentangy Orange) converted a 3-point play to bring the Bishops within a single digit with :49 left, and Hiram then worked the shot clock to its final ticks before Stefanov misfired on a 3-pointer with :14 to go.
After a Bishop timeout, Winters got the ball to Spence, who knocked down the 3-pointer to put Ohio Wesleyan ahead, 63-61.
With the Bishops still having 2 fouls to give and 4.4 seconds to use up, it didn't appear that Hiram would be able to get a good look at the tying shot. The Terriers inbounded the ball past halfcourt and Winters fouled immediately, giving the Terriers the ball on the sideline about 35 feet away with :02.3 to play.
After each team called a timeout, Justin Wisniewski's inbounds pass skipped across the court untouched, and the Bishops were able to run out the clock.
Ohio Wesleyan built an early lead, breaking a 4-4 tie with a 10-3 run that included a pair of Winters 3-pointers and baskets by Winters and junior post Reuel Rogers (Columbus/Bexley).
Three-pointers by Stefanov and Alan Sheppard helped the Terriers tie the tilt at 17, and Hiram would go on to build a 35-30 lead late in the half before senior wing Greg White (Centerville) hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to make it 35-32 at the break.
Rogers tied the game on the opening possession of the second half, but the Terriers responded with a Chris Zurowski 3-pointer and would lead for most of the second half, taking a 52-46 lead on Wisniewski's free throw with 7:16 remaining.
Ohio Wesleyan rallied to tie the game at 52, assembling free throws by Winters and Rieger and a pair of Rogers lay-ins, and after the teams traded points, Sheppard hit a 3-pointer for a 57-54 Hiram lead that set up the thrilling conclusion.
Winters led the Bishops with 18 points and 5 assists.
Senior post Marshall Morris (Tulsa, Okla./Jenks) added 13 points, raising his career total to 1007. He is the 28th Ohio Wesleyan men's basketball player to surpass the 1000-point mark during his career.
Rogers finished with 13 points and grabbed a team-high 7 rebounds.
Stefanov led Hiram with 19 points.
Box Score
