Box Score
Wooster 76, Ohio Wesleyan 72

Sophomore wing Jessee Battle (Gahanna/Lincoln) scored a lay-in that gave Ohio Wesleyan the lead with less than 5 minutes to play, but Wooster rallied to retake the lead and held on for a North Coast Athletic Conference win on Wednesday at Branch Rickey Arena.

Battle's lay-in gave the Bishops a 59-58 lead with 4:52 left in regulation time, but Wooster evened the game on its next possession when J.J. Cline split a pair of free throws, then drove for a lay-in to give the visitors a 61-59 advantage with 3:57 to go.

The margin alternated between 1 and 3 points as the teams traded points, and after Cline drained a 3-pointer with 2:36 remaining, the margin alternated between 2 and 4 points until the Bishops misfired with :43 remaining and Wooster's Jaiden Cox-Holloway corralled the rebound and split a pair of free throws for a 71-66 Fighting Scot lead with :40 to play.

Battle buried a 3-pointer on the Bishops' next possession to make it a 2-point game, but with Ohio Wesleyan forced to foul, the Fighting Scots got a pair of free throws from Cox-Holloway and another pair from Cline to offset a bucket by junior guard Henry Hinkle (Powell/Olentangy Liberty) and another Battle free throw.

Wooster raced to an 8-0 lead to open the game, with Nick Everett starting and finishing the run with baskets from close range.

Ohio Wesleyan fought back to even the score at 14 as Hinkle knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and senior post Tony Carter (Cleveland/Parma Heights Holy Name) and Battle also connected from downtown, but Wooster broke a 16-16 tie with a 3-pointer by Isaiah Johnson, and Cline added 2 more trifectas to help the Fighting Scots to a 33-22 lead late in the opening half.

Hinkle responded with a jumper and a pair of free throws, and junior wing Landon Turnbull (Hicksville) closed out the half by swishing a 3-pointer as the Bishops pulled to within 33-29 at the break.  A pair of lay-ins by senior post Cole Metzler (Canal Winchester) off Hinkle feeds, along with a Carter 3-pointer, helped Ohio Wesleyan pull closer early in the second half before sophomore post Matt Butler (Dublin/Jerome) drilled a 3-pointer to give the Bishops their first lead of the night at 43-42.  From there, the lead changed hands 7 times before Battle's lay-in that made it 59-58 and Cline's basket that put Wooster ahead for good.

Hinkle led the Bishops with 22 points.  Carter added 19 points and shared the team lead with 4 rebounds, and Battle scored 12 points.  Junior wing David Rice (Cleveland/Parma Padua Franciscan) also shared the team lead with 4 boards and sophomore wing Isaac Ward (Circleville/Logan Elm) had a team-high 5 assists.

Box Score