WOOSTER, Ohio – With The College of Wooster hanging on to a four-point lead as the clock went under the four-minute mark, Scott Purcell collected an offensive rebound and beat the shot clock with an off-balance jumper, shortly thereafter Evan Pannell found a clearing in the lane for a two-handed dunk to go ahead 65-57 at the 2:08 mark, which was just enough cushion for the Fighting Scots to put away a game Saint Vincent College squad 76-67 in the first round of the NCAA Div. III Championship Friday night at Timken Gymnasium.

Wooster (26-3) moves on to face Dickinson College (22-6), an 83-76 winner over the State University of New York at Geneseo earlier in the evening, in the NCAA's second round for the second year in a row.

Saint Vincent (22-7) used a quick 10-0 run early in the second half to pull within two (41-39), and while the Scots never trailed, it was no more than a five-point margin until the last five minutes. Clinging to a 61-57 lead, Wooster was forced to throw up a tough shot with the shot clock running down and after the ball did not touch the rim, Purcell alertly flicked it back towards the basket as the buzzer sounded and it swished through the net.

After a series of defensive stops, Pannell drove into the paint and found just enough of an opening to slam one home for the eight-point advantage.

The Scots received another key play from Kenny DeBoer. After the Bearcats cut it back down to six with a couple of free throws and then didn't take advantage of another opportunity at the charity stripe, DeBoer got free on the inside, converting a lay-up while being fouled and making the free throw for the three-point play and a 68-59 lead with 1:31 left.

Wooster went on to make 8-of-11 free throws to secure the nine-point win.

Xavier Brown follows through on one of his three 3-pointers during the first half. All three were part of a 16-0 run that gave the Scots the lead after trailing by nine.

In the first half, the Scots weathered an early storm. Saint Vincent jumped out on top 19-9, and later it was 25-16 with 7:01 remaining in the half when Wooster's Xavier Brown knocked down 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions as part of a 16-0 run. Overall, the Scots closed the half on a 23-4 stretch to take a 39-29 lead into the locker room.

Overall, Wooster was a little bit better in most every statistical category. The Scots shot 41.4 percent from the field (24-for-58) to the Bearcats' 36.7 percent (22-for-60), outrebounded them 40-38, and committed two less turnovers (9-11).

Wooster featured a very balanced scoring attack with five in double figures. Brown led the way with 15 points, Thorpe had 14 plus three steals, and DeBoer fell just two assists shy of a triple-double as he tallied 12 points, 10 rebounds, and a career-high eight assists. It was his second double-double in three games.

Dan Fanelly also notched a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Pannell scored an even dozen as well.

The Scots overcame a career-high 33 points from Saint Vincent's Isaac Turner.

Dickinson once trailed SUNY Geneseo (21-7) by 10 at 32-22, trimmed it to 37-32 at halftime, and quickly took the lead with a 10-1 run at the outset of the second half. The Red Devils' Brandon Angradi nailed five 3-pointers the second 20 minutes as part of an 18-point outing, while their point guard,   Adam Honig, led the way with 24 points and four assists.

The Dickinson-Wooster game will tip-off on Saturday at 7 p.m.