DELAWARE, Ohio – The Ohio Wesleyan University men's basketball team hosted Wooster on Saturday, aiming to secure back-to-back NCAC victories for the second time this year. Regulation time expired with both squads tied at 72, forcing an extra five minutes to decide a winner. A late Wooster free throw proved to be the difference, leaving the Red and Black with just one second to respond. Their game-tying attempt at the buzzer came up offline, and Ohio Wesleyan ultimately fell 85-82. 

OWU drops to 7-16 overall, and 4-10 in the NCAC. Wooster advances to 8-15, with a 5-9 record in conference play.

Before the game, seniors Jessee Battle, Matt Butler, Lukas Muench, Phil Wallace, and Isaac Ward were acknowledged    for their contributions to the program. 

The two squads went blow-for-blow early, with neither side able to carve out a definitive lead in the opening minutes. Jessee Battle provided a spark with just under four minutes remaining in the half, burying a triple to stretch the lead to seven—the largest advantage for either team in the opening half. OWU maintained their lead in the remaining minutes, and carried a 41-36 lead into the break. The squad shot an impressive 53.57% from the field in the first half, going 15-of-28.

The Fighting Scots quickly found their stride to start the second half. A 9-3 surge allowed Wooster to edge ahead, marking their first advantage since the 11-minute mark of the first period. The Scots built on their momentum, and led by eight points with less than nine minutes on the clock. However, the Bishops stormed back as Jake Lowman caught fire, scoring seven straight points amidst a 13-2 run to regain a 65-62 lead. With just 47 seconds remaining, Cal Klinzing laid it in to push the OWU lead to six. Wooster faced a tall task of scoring six unanswered points in the remaining seconds, but a three by Tommy Vaughn Jr. cut the deficit to three and gave the squad hope. Capitalizing on a pair of late OWU miscues, the Fighting Scots drilled a clutch triple with just four seconds remaining to knot the game at 72. The Red and Black got a final look off at the buzzer, but it failed to connect, and extra time was needed to decide a winner. 

In overtime the battle continued, but Wooster's Quincy Jones laid it in to take a one-point lead with 2:27 remaining. The Scots bolstered their lead to four with just seven seconds left, but OWU refused to quit. Isaac Ward took it to the rack with one second left to cut the deficit in half. After intentionally fouling to save time, Wooster sank one free throw, giving the Red and Black one last chance to send it to a second overtime. After a timeout, the Bishops got a game-tying shot off, but it failed to connect, and OWU fell 85-83. 

THE NUMBERS
OWU shot 52.5% (31-59) from the field and 36% from beyond the arc, draining nine triples. The squad went 11-for-14 from the charity stripe.

Jessee Battle and Isaac Ward provided a one-two punch, with each pouring in 20 points to lead the Bishop offense. Battle added nine rebounds and seven assists to his statline, while Ward dished out three assists. 

Jake Lowman was next with 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists.

Cal Klinzing recorded 10 points–going a perfect 5-of-5 from the field–along with six rebounds, and two steals.

Phil Wallace scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds. 

Quinn Hart tallied six points, three rebounds, and two steals. 

Kevin Gallagher added two points.

UP NEXT
Ohio Wesleyan will look to bounce back on Wednesday, as they travel to DePauw for an 8 p.m. tip.