GAMBIER, Ohio – A familiar storyline consisting of several key second-half stretches, important contributions by bench players at crucial junctures of the game, and strong game-long play by a steady starting cast led to another North Coast Athletic Conference win for the 24th-ranked College of Wooster men's basketball team, which topped Kenyon College 83-61 on Wednesday evening at Tomsich Arena.
A 21-9 run spanning 6:37 in the second half was the decisive stretch for Wooster (10-2, 4-1 NCAC). Junior Peyton Bennington, who poured in a season-high 11 points, started the stretch by slipping inside, and he finished off one of classmate Dontae Williams' team-high five assists at the rim. Later, Bennington, a Wooster native, imposed his will on the defensive end to secure a rebound while sandwiched in between a pair of Kenyon (5-6, 2-3 NCAC) players. The communication studies major went on to draw a foul in the process, and two free throws followed right after, which upped Wooster's lead to 55-43 with 10:22 to go.
Bennington wasn't finished yet, as a steal and layup in transition followed on the heels of the two free throws. In fact, Bennington had two sequences during which he logged a steal and layup, with the other resulting in the junior tying the game at 13 midway through the first half.
"Peyton had a very fine game," summed up head coach Steve Moore. "He played good defense, moved well without the ball, and his movement led to some nice baskets for us. He was very active on defense, was able to knock the ball loose a few times and create some turnovers for us."
Sophomore Najee Hardaway scored three points the old-fashion way later in the run. On that play, Hardaway had a nifty scoop shot over his shoulder that went in, and the Scots' starting guard went on to sink his free throw. Classmate Brandon Styers capped the lengthy stretch with a corner three-pointer, which made it a 70-52 contest with 4:49 on the clock.
Kenyon's Kamal Aubakirov pulled the Lords within 57-50 with 9:49 remaining. That's as close as Kenyon came down the stretch, as the Lords were unable to overcome an eight-minute second-half stretch, during which they misfired on 11-of-12 field goal attempts.
In the first half, senior Trenton Tipton swung a pass to the top, where sophomore Drew Bishop knocked down an open three-ball that gave Wooster the lead for good at 16-13. The Scots led by as many as 11 when senior Danyon Hempy knocked down one of his signature jumpers at 38-27 with inside a minute to go.
Junior Keonn Scott's 17 points led four Scots in double figures, and marked the game-high. The junior knocked down a vast array of his signature pull-up jumpers, as he was 8-of-12 from the floor, while also finishing the night as the co-high man on the team in rebounds with six. Hempy chipped in with 16 points, while Williams had a quietly effective night with 13 points, six rebounds, and five helpers.
Wooster connected at a season-high 57.1 percent (32-of-56) clip from the floor, shot at least 56 percent in each half, and nearly doubled up Kenyon in rebounding (42-23). The Scots' bench stepped up with 26 points on the night.
Ugnius Zilinskas had 16 points and eight assists to pace Kenyon.
The Lords shot 32.1 percent (18-of-56) for the game, which marked the Scots' best defensive field goal percentage of the year. Kenyon was just 8-of-31 (25.8 percent) in the second half, but the Lords did hit 17-of-20 free throws.
"We had very good balance tonight," added Moore. "That was the best example of our balance all season. We had a lot of guys contribute. It was good to see both field goal percentages where there were at also. That's what we've been looking for with the defensive field goal percentage."
Wooster's three-game road swing wraps up with a trip to Greencastle, Indiana, on Saturday, January 11. There, Wooster will square off with DePauw University (6-6, 3-2 NCAC) at 1 p.m.