College of Wooster loses two heartbreakers at Al Van Wie/Wooster Rotary Classic

WOOSTER — The College of Wooster men’s basketball team was again unable to pull out a win in the final minutes, this time falling to Widener University (Pennsylvania) 72-68 on day two of the program’s annual Al Van Wie/Wooster Rotary Classic at Timken Gymnasium.

Wooster (1-3), which played the fourth of five straight 2022-23 NCAA Div. III Championships qualifiers to start the season, was dealing with a 68-61 deficit with 2:12 remaining. An old-fashion three-point play by senior Nick Everett had the deficit cut to 68-64 with 2:03 to go, and junior Ashton Price’s free throws had Wooster within a possession in the final 20 seconds. More Price free throws made it a 70-68 game in the final seconds before Widener’s (4-1) Kevin Schenk extended the lead to 72-68 at the end.

Wooster played well in the first half, opening a 24-18 lead at the 8:14 mark on sophomore Jaiden Cox-Holloway’s corner three-ball. That followed a possession where senior JJ Cline scored a second-chance layup on a pass from junior Jamir Billings. The lead was back at five at 27-22 on another Cox-Holloway triple, while Price’s three-pointer made it 30-25 at 4:04.

Cline’s driving layup tied the game at 46 with 13:16 to go, then Schenk’s three-pointer gave Widener the lead for good. The Pride went on an 8-0 run to take a 59-48 lead at the 8:23 mark before the Scots climbed back within single digits on sophomore Isaiah Johnson’s turnaround jumper in the paint with 6:25 remaining.

Price earned a spot on the all-tournament team after leading Wooster in scoring for the second straight day at the Al Van Wie/Wooster Rotary Classic. He dropped in 19 points and had three assists and three steals. Billings was next at 11 points, and the point guard passed out five assists and had three steals.

Wooster shot 36.4 percent (20-for-55) for the game and was just 7-for-27 (24.1 percent) on three-pointers. Wooster was 21-for-24 at the line for 87.5 percent but was outrebounded 34-32.

Howie Rankine Jr. dropped in 16 points to lead five Widener players in double figures. Matt Daulerio, who was the Pride’s representative on the all-tournament team, was one of four players at 13 points.

Widener shot 45.5 percent (25-for-55) and was 13-for-18 (72.2 percent) at the line.

In the championship game, eighth-ranked Hampden-Sydney College (Virginia) (4-0) rode 17 made three-pointers to an 80-66 win over Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Indiana) (2-1). Tournament MVP Davidson Hubbard scored 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while all-tournament honoree Adam Brazil was effective facilitating the offense to the tune of 10 assists and 11 points. Defensive MVP Joshiah Hardy added seven points, four rebounds, and two steals.

Rose-Hulman’s Kobe Stoudemire earned a spot on the all-tournament team after a 15-point afternoon, as did Miles McGowen, who scored six points and had three rebounds.

Hampden-Sydney shot 44.8 percent (30-for-67) for the game, but was better on three-pointers, converting at a 47.2 percent clip (17-for-36). Rose-Hulman shot 43.4 percent (23-for-53).

Wooster has another tough test on deck, with a game at fifth-ranked University of Mount Union (4-0) up next. Tipoff on Wednesday, November 22 is set for 6 p.m.

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology 82, College of Wooster 80

The College of Wooster men’s basketball team’s 13-year run of winning on night one of the program’s annual Al Van Wie/Wooster Rotary Classic was snapped on Friday evening, as Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Indiana) held off the Fighting Scots for an 82-80 win at Timken Gymnasium.

Wooster (1-2) needed a miracle after Rose-Hulman’s (2-0) Kobe Stoudemire’s free throws extended the Fightin’ Engineers lead to 82-77 with exactly four seconds on the clock. Rose-Hulman retained possession following the free throws due to a flagrant one foul, but sophomore Isaiah Johnson outworked the player he was guarding and stole the inbounds pass, giving Wooster the ball in the front court. Senior JJ Cline found junior Ashton Price for a three-pointer that pulled Wooster within 82-80 with seven tenths of a second on the clock. After a foul with two tenths of a second remaining, Wooster would have had to tip in a full-court three-pointer to win.

Wooster was within 78-75 with 1:03 remaining when sophomore EJ Kapihe drove to the basket for a layup, but the Scots did not hit from range with about 27 seconds remaining. That forced Wooster into foul mode and Rocco Richie was locked in at the line.

The key moment in the game came with 5:59 remaining. A loose ball foul on a rebound was initially called on Rose-Hulman’s Simon Blair, and it was reviewed and reversed to a flagrant one foul on Wooster senior Nick Everett. Wooster, which was down two at the time, found itself behind 70-64 after the possession, as Blair split the free throws and Stoudemire buried one of Rose-Hulman’s nine second-half three-pointers.             

Wooster, which found itself down 35-30 at halftime, played its best stretch at the second period’s onset. Kapihe was behind the effort, making two layups to pull Wooster within 35-34, and a steal by the Scots’ forward was sandwiched between the buckets. Wooster took a lead at 37-35 on a Price triple at the 18:41 mark, and Price’s fast-break layup following a Cline rebound upped the lead to four at the 17:36 mark. A triple from junior Jamir Billings made it 48-40 at 14:31, which marked Wooster’s biggest lead of the night.

Price’s 27 points were a collegiate-high. He was 10-for-18 from the floor and 5-for-9 from range. Billings added 11 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, and four steals. Kapihe’s eight rebounds led the team, while Cline’s 12 points were two off his career-best.

Wooster shot 48.2 percent (27-for-56) and won the rebounding battle 37-29, but was ultimately outscored by 12 points beyond the arc.

Miles McGowan’s 17 points led four Fightin’ Engineers in double figures. Richie’s four three-pointers helped the guard to 15 points. Bradley Harden had six rebounds to lead Rose-Hulman in that department.

Rose-Hulman shot 29-for-64 (45.3 percent) for the game and went 14-for-28 on three-pointers.

Wooster last lost on the opening night of the Al Van Wie/Wooster Rotary Classic in 2008.

In Friday’s first game, eighth-ranked Hampden-Sydney College (Virginia) (3-0) beat Widener University (Pennsylvania) (3-1) 72-63. Hampden-Sydney’s Davidson Hubbard led four Tigers in double figures with 16 points, while Ryan Clements added 13 points and seven rebounds. Dominic Dunn paced Widener with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Matt Dulerio added 13. Hampden-Sydney shot 46.3 percent (25-of-54) from the floor, was 14-of-16 (87.5 percent) at the line and dominated Widener on the glass 48-29. Widener shot 34.9 percent (22-of-63) and went just 9-of-27 (33.3 percent) from range.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: College Basketball: College of Wooster loses back-to-back close games