WOOSTER, Ohio – Senior Turner Kurt's monumental game-winning, buzzer-beating three-pointer gave The College of Wooster men's basketball team the North Coast Athletic Conference title outright and clinched the one seed for the upcoming NCAC Tournament. Kurt's heroic shot capped the wild ending of Saturday's 75-74 win over Wabash College at Timken Gymnasium.
Wooster (19-5, 13-3 NCAC), the 19-time NCAC champion, had :02.1 to get off the game winner. The Scots were set up in prime position, thanks to junior JJ Cline showcasing his All-Ohio quarterback skills, which flipped the baseline Wooster had to operate from after Wabash deflected the four-fifths court entry pass out of bounds. Senior Najee Hardaway's screen gave Kurt a step on Wabash's (18-7, 11-5 NCAC) Ahmoni Jones, then the Scots' 6-8 forward's ball fake kept the Little Giants' forward from getting back into the picture for a strong contest. After the fake, Kurt dribbled once to his right and drained the biggest shot of his career.
Wabash, which overcame Wooster's 58-45 advantage with 11:26 remaining, took the 74-72 lead with :02.4 remaining on Josh Whack's floating jumper from about eight feet out. Vinny Buccilla's driving layup tied the score at 72 with :35 on the clock, and that marked points 10 and 11 of Wabash's 13-1 run that ended with Whack's floater.
Wooster's win was certainly a team effort, with names not usually in the limelight involved in crucial second-half plays. First-year Isaac Roeder hit three triples after halftime, with those putting Wooster up 44-32, 50-41, and 58-45. Junior Brennan South assisted on two of Wooster's second half triples, including Roeder's third that came with 11:26 to go. Junior Carter Warstler, one of Wooster's top reserves, also hit a triple, with junior Nick Everett finding the guard open in the corner for a bucket that made it 57-34 at 15:53.
Kurt was a Scot on a mission at the second half's onset. The senior quickly got Wabash's Gavin Schippert to pick up foul three on the afternoon prior to finishing a layup off a Billings assist. The duo connected again, this time with Kurt stepping into a three-pointer after a pass from Billings. That triple put Wooster up 39-30 53 ticks into the stanza.
In the first half, Wooster rode its hometown talent when it came to setting the tone with energy and effort. Cline dropped in eight points, secured five offensive rebounds, and regularly switched onto some of Wabash's top players defensively and kept them from getting good looks off. Junior Elijah Meredith's scoring contributions helped Wooster to a 34-30 halftime lead. The forward went 4-of-7 from the floor and 3-of-5 from deep.
Kurt scored a team-high 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, and the senior swished home both of his three-pointers. He was one of four Scots with at least six rebounds on the day. Meredith was next in the scoring column with 11 points and he finished a rebound shy of a double-double. Billings' well-rounded afternoon featured nine points, seven assists, and six rebounds. Wooster had eight players score at least six points in the win.
Wooster shot 44.8 percent (26-of-58) for the game, went 13-of-30 (43.3 percent) from range, and edged out Wabash 35-33 on the glass.
Buccilla's 26 points led all players. The Little Giants' guard was 10-of-18 from the floor. Jones added 14 and led Wabash with six rebounds.
Wabash shot 46.3 percent (25-of-54), was 6-of-23 (26.1 percent) on three-pointers, and had 10 turnovers to Wooster's 13.
Of note, 17 of Wooster's 19 NCAC championships have been outright ones.
Wooster opens the NCAC Tournament against Oberlin College (8-17, 4-12 NCAC) on Tuesday, February 22. Tipoff from Timken Gymnasium is set for 7 p.m. A reminder that Wooster season ticket passes are not valid for postseason games, including the NCAC Tournament. Ticket prices for NCAC Tournament quarterfinals are $7 for adults, $5 for children (18-and-under), $5 for holders of a NCAC guest pass, and $5 for students who do not have a NCAC institution ID. Students who attend NCAC institutions are admitted free of charge with their student ID card.