Box Score
Ohio Wesleyan 57, Hanover 54

Junior post Grant Gossard (Westerville/Olentangy Orange) scored 4 points and junior guard Jaret Gerber (Worthington/Thomas Worthington) added 3 during a late 11-0 run that gave Ohio Wesleyan the lead, and the Bishops got a timely stop on the final possession to seal a non-conference win over Hanover on Wednesday at Branch Rickey Arena.

The Panthers had broken a 46-46 tie with back-to-back buckets from Cam Fails and a lay-in by Kevin Williams to take a 52-46 lead with 5:15 left in regulation time.

Gossard knocked down a jumper from the lane on Ohio Wesleyan's ensuing possession, and freshman wing Ethan Stanislawski (Massillon/Jackson) followed with a lay-in before Gerber sank a pair of free throws to even the score at 52 with 2:39 to play.  Freshman wing Gabe Johnson (Chicago, Ill./Wheaton St. Francis) followed with a pair of free throws with 2:09 remaining to give the Bishops their first lead of the second half.

On Hanover's next possession, Stanislawski blocked a shot by Fails at the free throw circle, but the ball went right back to Fails and he went up again, but Gerber blocked that shot and the Bishops got the ball on a shot-clock violation with 1:37 remaining.

Gossard hit a pair of free throws at the 1:19 mark to make it a 56-52 game, and after a Stanislawski steal, Gerber sank the second of 2 free throws for a 57-52 Bishop lead with :54 to play.

Kevin Williams scored from the lane to bring the Panthers within 57-54 with :39 left, and the visitors got the ball back after Gossard was called for traveling underneath the hoop with :11 to go.

Looking for the tie, Fails launched a 3-pointer from the right wing but his shot glanced off the rim, and while Ryan Cloncs tracked down the offensive rebound underneath the hoop, the Panthers were not able to get off another shot.

On a night where neither team would heat up from long range, the Panthers broke a 25-25 tie with a Christian Reed jumper and added a Fails 3-pointer to take the biggest lead of the opening period, but Gerber hit a jumper from the lane and Gossard added a pair of free throws to bring the Bishops within a single marker at the break.

Williams had 3 baskets during a 7-0 run early in the second half that opened up a 39-31 lead for the visitors, and Hanover still led by a 44-37 count when the Bishops pulled even on 5 straight points by Gossard and a Stanislawski lay-in.

Gossard led the Bishops with 19 points and 11 rebounds.  Gerber added 12 points, Stanislawski scored 11 points, and freshman guard Curtis White (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) and junior post Derrick Wyche (Lewis Center/Olentangy) shared the team lead with 3 assists apiece.

Fails led Hanover with 19 points.

Box Score