DELAWARE, Ohio – Junior Elijah Meredith dropped in a season-high 20 points in his return to Ohio Wesleyan University's Branch Rickey Arena to lead four College of Wooster men's basketball players in double figures, and the Fighting Scots' physicality and depth overmatched the Battling Bishops in Wednesday night's 73-52 win.
Wooster (5-1, 3-0 North Coast Athletic Conference) separated itself from Ohio Wesleyan (4-3, 1-1 NCAC) on paint points. The Scots finished with 46 points in the paint, six fewer than the Battling Bishops scored overall on the night.
A strong interior presence was established early with two buckets by Meredith before the tide really turned when junior Nick Everett was in the game. The Battling Bishops struggled matching up against the 6-8 forward, who finished with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Everett put on a clinic in the low post, scoring on a dish off from sophomore Jamir Billings, banking one in, and converting a stick-back in the first half. Then, he backed down an Ohio Wesleyan defender twice in the second half and had the shooter's touch on a finger roll.
Elsewhere, senior Turner Kurt's muscle-up through contact with 10:17 remaining marked the point where Wooster started to really pull away. The forward's old-fashion three-point-play came in the middle of Wooster's 14-1 run that started with Everett's finger roll. Meredith popped out for a three-pointer that made it 59-41 with 8:37 left after setting a screen for Billings, then junior Carter Warstler sank a floating midrange jumper on the next possession.
Meredith, who grew up just down the road from Ohio Wesleyan and had his breakthrough game in his first-career meeting with the Battling Bishops, continued his fine play at Branch Rickey Arena. The forward scored the Scots' first seven points of the night, then poured in the first eight after halftime. Two of Meredith's four triples came in the opening stretch of the second half, and a smooth-flowing one-dribble pull-up jumper was sandwiched in between those.
Hardaway's ability to get to the rim, then finish off drives with buckets, resulted in 17 points. Everett's 14 followed, while Kurt's 11 rounded out the Scots in double figures in the scoring column. Billings' eight rebounds were the co-game-high. Everett added seven rebounds, then junior JJ Cline and Hardaway were next with five apiece. Billings' five assists led all players, and he had two of Wooster's six steals.
Wooster shot a season-best 53.7 percent (29-of-54) from the floor, went 11-for-15 at the charity stripe, and had 21 bench points to Ohio Wesleyan's seven.
Jack Clement led Ohio Wesleyan with 21 points, but Wooster's defense, led by Billings, Hardaway, Kurt, and Warstler, made him earn it. The Battling Bishops' leading scorer needed 22 shots to hit the 20-point mark, and he was just 1-of-9 from three-point range after coming into the contest hitting 48.8 percent from beyond the arc on the season.
Grant Spicer found success early before Wooster clamped down on the Battling Bishops' top forward. He had 13 points and matched Billings for the game-high at eight rebounds.
Ohio Wesleyan shot just 33.3 percent (19-of-57) from the floor, and the Battling Bishops struggled from beyond the arc, finishing just 5-for-23 (21.7 percent).
Of note, Wooster's 21-point margin of victory marked the highest by either team in the series since the Scots' 99-76 win on January 7, 2017. The outcome was decided by five points or fewer in nine of the last 12 meetings prior to Wednesday night.
Next, Wooster hosts seventh-ranked University of Rochester (7-1) at 2:15 p.m. on Saturday, December 10. The Yellowjackets will be the second top-10 team the Scots play this season.