College of Wooster puts on second-half clinic to beat Edgewood College

WOOSTER — The College of Wooster men’s basketball team put on an offensive clinic in the second half by shooting nearly 75 percent from the floor, turning a three-point halftime lead into an 84-61 rout over Edgewood College (Wisconsin), which capped night one of the 60th E.M. “Mose” Hole/Wooster Kiwanis Classic at Timken Gymnasium.

Wooster (5-6) was a near-automatic 20-of-27 from the floor in the second stanza, which included an incredible 11-of-13 start over the first 8:11. Junior Jamir Billings dropped in 17 of his game- and co-season-high 22 points after halftime. He was zeroed in, shooting 7-of-9, which included a 3-of-4 ledger from beyond the arc. Yet, it was the midrange game the Fighting Scots’ guard had on display at Timken Gymnasium at the onset, then senior JJ Cline bullied his way inside to up Wooster’s lead to 39-33 at the 17:51 mark. A fast-break bucket set up by a Cline steal he deflected away from Edgewood’s (4-7) Cade Ellingson made it a 43-38 game, then Billings hit from deep on the next possession. The lead was 14 after another Billings triple when the 11-of-13 stretch concluded, and that score had Wooster out to a 58-44 advantage.

The stepped-up intensity carried over to the defensive end of the floor, where Wooster held Edgewood to just 11-of-29 shooting after halftime. While it was a total team effort, the biggest moments came from singular determination of heart and hustle from senior Nick Everett and sophomore Isaiah Johnson. Wooster already had possession forthcoming at the 6:37 mark when aggressive ball pressure by Everett resulted in a would-be over-and-back violation on Edgewood. However, Everett made it his mission to beat Edgewood to the loose ball, which he did by diving for it just in front of Wooster’s bench. Later, Johnson closed from out of the flow of the play to deny Dawson Hughes from behind at the rim, and the block with 4:15 remaining was the point guard’s third of the night.

In the first half, a Billings fast-break layup following his second of three steals in the contest gave Wooster a non-relinquished lead with 1:34 on the clock. The junior hit a triple on the next possession to give Wooster a five-point edge before Edgewood closed within 33-30 at halftime.

Billings’ 22 points were backed up by three assists and three steals. Wooster, which totaled 111 second-half points over its last two games, saw Everett go for 18 on 6-of-7 shooting and Cline go a perfect 5-of-5 on the night for 10 points. Everett posted the double-double with 10 rebounds, and Wooster finished with a 35-24 edge there.

For the game, Wooster shot a season-high 61.8 percent (34-of-55) from the floor, and the 34 field-goal makes were also a season-best. Wooster cut down the mistakes after halftime, having just five turnovers in the second half. Paint points marked an area Wooster took total control with 50 of the 73 non-free throw points coming down low.

Trey Traeder scored 14 points to lead Edgewood. Drew Houtakker added 13 points and hit all three of his triples. Edgewood shot just 39.7 percent (23-of-58) for the game.

In Friday’s first game, top-ranked John Carroll University pulled away from Wheaton College (Illinois) at the end for a 96-87 victory. Luke Chicone and Luke Frazier scored 19 points each for John Carroll, while Chicone filled the stat sheet with four assists and three steals.

Wheaton was led by Soren Richardson’s game-high 28 points. Richardson was on fire from deep, going 6-of-9 from beyond the arc as part of a 10-of-15 overall effort. As a team, Wheaton went 14-of-31 on three-pointers.

Edgewood and Wheaton meet in Saturday’s 4 p.m. consolation game, while John Carroll and Wooster square off in the championship game at 6 p.m. The game against John Carroll marks Wooster’s first time playing the top-ranked team since the Scots took down Whitworth University (Washington) in the sectional championship (Elite 8) of the 2011 NCAA Div. III Championships. Wooster advanced all the way to the national championship game during that tournament run.

Tickets for Saturday’s game are regularly $8 for adults and $7 for senior citizens and youth. As part of the Mose Hole/Kiwanis Classic, fans can get half-price admission with the donation of two new or gently-worn clothing items which will be donated to Goodwill Industries.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: College Hoops: College of Wooster routs Edgewood