WOOSTER, Ohio – Doug Thorpe scored 21 of his career-high 26 points during the second half, which helped No. 2 ranked College of Wooster survive an upset bid by Allegheny College, as the Fighting Scots came back from nine down to prevail 73-68 in a North Coast Athletic Conference contest at Timken Gymnasium.
The game appeared to be a mismatch on paper, the NCAC's first-place team hosting the last-place team, however, Allegheny (3-13, 0-9 NCAC) made an early statement with scores on five of its first six possessions. The Gators did not trail in the last 19 minutes of the opening half, which included a late 13-2 surge that turned a 21-21 tie into a 34-23 lead.
Wooster (15-1, 9-0 NCAC) was down 34-27 at the break, with Allegheny shooting 57.7 percent from the field (15-for-26) to the home team's 34.6 percent (9-for-26).
After the Gators scored on the initial possession of the second half to make it a nine-point spread, the Scots responded with a quick 10-0 run, featuring two Thorpe 3-pointers. A Xavier Brown lay-up – his only points of the night – gave Wooster the lead (37-36) for the first time since it was 2-0.
The teams went back-and-forth for the next few minutes, then the Scots slowly built up a cushion. Tied at 45, Wooster repeatedly drove the ball inside, converting one field goal and earning a series of trips to the free throw line, where it made 6-of-9, all while holding Allegheny scoreless on the defensive end. That stretch resulted in a 53-48 advantage with 8:08 remaining.
The Gators never narrowed it to a one-possession game after that point. It was 58-53 at the 5:06 mark and the Scots strung together a mini 7-0 run, pushing their margin to double-digits (65-53) for the first time.
During the final minute, Wooster countered 13 Allegheny points by netting 6-of-6 free throws to hold off the visitors.
The Scots' defense limited the Gators to under 40 percent field-goal shooting the second half, lowering their overall rate to .474 (27-for-57), while Wooster finished at .423 (22-for-52).
The biggest difference in the game was the Scots' ability to get to the charity stripe. They made 23 of 29 (.793) there, compared to the Gators' 7-of-10 shooting.
Thorpe's 26 points came on 7-of-11 field goals (4-of-8 3-pointers) and 8-of-8 free throws, while Dan Fanelly and Kenny DeBoer joined him in double figures. Fanelly put up matching 11s in the points and rebounds column for his second career double-double, and DeBoer contributed 10 points.
Brandon Smith stood out for Allegheny, as its post player had 15 points, seven rebounds, two assists, four blocks, and two steals.
On Saturday afternoon, Wooster will be at DePauw University (12-4, 7-2 NCAC), a place the Scots have not won at the last two years. Tip-off in Greencastle, Ind., is scheduled for 1 p.m.