Wooster rallied from a gigantic second-half deficit to defeat Williams. Photo by Ryan Tipps, D3sports.com

SALEM, Va. -- Williams jumped out to an 11-2 lead and led by as many as 18 points, 17 with 8:54 to go in the game but Wooster came all the way back to win 73-71.

In the second game, St. Thomas rallied from a seven-point second-half deficit to make the national title game for the first time, as the Tommies defeated Middlebury 59-57. Full story

The teams will meet for the national title at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, with the winner taking home its first Division III men's basketball national championship.

Wooster made 9-of-14 from the floor down the stretch and 4-of-6 from 3-point range to come back as the Scots advanced to the national title game for the first time in program history. Williams had a layup roll off in the final seconds that would have tied the game. Full story

With the score 63-46, Wooster (31-2) started what would become 17 unanswered points with eight quick ones over its next four possessions – a Bryan Wickliffe lay-up, followed by 3-pointers from Nathan Balch and Justin Hallowell. The latter pulled the Scots within single digits for the first time since the game's opening seven minutes as it was a nine-point deficit at the 6:25 mark.

The next trip down the floor for the Scots resulted in Ian Franks earning a trip to the free throw line and sinking both (63-56), and then Wickliffe stole the ball on the other end from Williams' point guard and was immediately fouled. Wickliffe dropped in both free throws (63-58). Another key play followed as Hallowell drew a charge, and then Franks went to work, hitting a jumper inside the paint with 5:07 on the clock (63-60). 

That 17-point margin was trimmed to a one-possession game in less than four minutes, and Wooster's run wasn't over yet, as Franks buried a 3-pointer to tie it on the Scots' ensuing series, setting up a back-and-forth last 4:30.

For St. Thomas, Tyler Nicolai scored 12 of his 15 points in the first half, including five points on back-to-back possessions to help the Tommies regain the lead at 26-23.

Middlebury regained the lead at 44-43 on a layup by Jamal Davis with 10:39 left, and pushed it out to a 52-45 advantage on a dunk by Andrew Locke five minutes later. But Locke missed the free throw en route to a 2-for-7 performance from the line. Teddy Archer hit a pair of free throws for the Tommies to cut the lead to five, and, following a turnover by freshman Joey Kizel, Brady Ervin lofted a fallaway jumper in the lane over the 6-10 Locke to cut the lead to three. 

Kizel missed two free throws and Ervin hit a pair for the Tommies to make it 52-51. Locke was fouled and missed a pair of free throws, after which Alex Healy hit a pair of foul shots to give the Tommies a lead they would never relinquish. St. Thomas did not miss a shot in the final 5:29.