MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[bufordscot]

Wooster just doesn't have that level of team flow/cohesion/dynamism (yet, at least) that can turn their individual talent advantages into additional team-wide advantages...

Exactly.  They're not yet a "firing on all cylinders" Hickory or UCONN women-type team, and they may never be.  At least, though, they're not Grinnell, and we can be thankful for that.

Considering their relative youth in the backcourt I submit it may take a while.  There could very easily be some great games and some very poor games.  I have faith that by seasons end Steve will have them coached-up enough to be competitive. 

[GoRed]

I think we missed a milestone posted earlier this month . . .

Congratulations to Andrew Fox of Oberlin for surpassing the 1,000 point mark!

[woosterbooster]

I think we missed a milestone posted earlier this month . . .

Congratulations to Andrew Fox of Oberlin for surpassing the 1,000 point mark!

What?  Wow!  That obliterates the Grinnell player's record!  How did he do it?  What was the game score?  Who...  Oh, wait, this is a career mark...

[ScotsFan]

Hmmm...Wooster only beats Oberlin by 8. Oberlin lost to Earlham by 19.

Hmmm...Transitive scores mean what exactly?   

Wooster just doesn't have that level of team flow/cohesion/dynamism (yet, at least) that can turn their individual talent advantages into additional team-wide advantages...

Exactly.  They're not yet a "firing on all cylinders" Hickory or UCONN women-type team, and they may never be.  At least, though, they're not Grinnell, and we can be thankful for that.

Yes.  Wooster is young and while they may not be playing up to the level of what we Wooster fans expect to see from a Steve Moore coached team (yet), I do think they will be there by season's end. 

As Seinfeld pointed out, close games with Oberlin don't translate to cause for concern.  And that loss to Albion isn't looking as bad as I originally thought seeing that they are currently 5-0 and ranked...

[KnightSlappy]

And that loss to Albion isn't looking as bad as I originally thought seeing that they are currently 5-0 and ranked...

It's actually Adrian, and we could talk that one in circles. It's not bad for Wooster because Adrian's ranked, but Adrian's ranked because they beat Wooster.

[smedindy]

Of course, I abhor transitive scores...so that was just a little poke at Wooster re: Oberlin keeping it within sight.

[ScotsFan]

Of course, I abhor transitive scores...so that was just a little poke at Wooster re: Oberlin keeping it within sight.

I knew you did, so that's why I was poking at you... 

And that loss to Albion isn't looking as bad as I originally thought seeing that they are currently 5-0 and ranked...

It's actually Adrian, and we could talk that one in circles. It's not bad for Wooster because Adrian's ranked, but Adrian's ranked because they beat Wooster.

Adrian, Albion... Tomaytoe, Tomahtoe... 

[smedindy]

We have a pretty full docket of games tonight. Only Wabash and Allegheny are sitting it out, and our second conference game of the year!

Non-Conference:

DePauw (3-1) @ Earlham (1-4) - The New Tigers come off a fairly impressive weekend and travel to the old-NCAC whipping post, Earlham. The Quakers have only beaten Oberlin this year and don't seem to put the fear into anyone. It may be a decent win for DPU, but we thought that last year the the New Tigers barely escaped with a 78-74 win.

Kalamazoo (1-1) @ Oberlin (1-3) - Transitive property anyone? K'zoo beat Earlham who beat the Yeomen. But Oberlin gave Wooster a bit of a scare (or at least a Hmmmm?) last weekend and the Hornets aren't world beaters in any sense of the imagination. If Oberlin has shaken off its early season malaise this could be a decent win pickup for the league.

Marietta (2-1) @ Wittenberg (3-0) - The Old Tigers have played sound hoops thus far in the season. They have another decent test in the Pioneers, who bounced back after their loss to OWU with a sound thrashing of Waynesburg. If Witt is looking ahead to their big matchup Saturday, Marietta may pip them. I don't think Wittenberg will allow that to happen, though. It should be a good one.

Wooster (3-1) @ Ohio Northern (4-1) - The posters have spoken - the Scots are inconsistent. On paper, the Polar Bears have a decent record and could prove to be another test for Wooster. However, ONU hasn't exactly faced a daunting schedule with their best win over Hood and a loss to Defiance.

Kenyon (2-2) @ Muskingum (0-4) - Yet another NCAC / OAC battle. The Lords have been up-and-down thus far but their 2-2 record could have been expected. They face a Musky team that has struggled mightily thus far. Could be another good win for the league over their arch-nemesis league.

Ohio Wesleyan (3-1) @ Capital (2-3) - The Bishops look to move past their weekend in Rochester (wouldn't we all) where they didn't play all that well and got their first loss of the year. Could Capital be a tonic? Perhaps. The Crusaders two wins were against C-M and Alma, not exactly top-flight teams. But it's a semi-backyard brawl so anything could happen.

Conference game:

Hiram (0-0, 1-0) @ Denison (0-0, 2-2) - This looks like a good game that could have impact down the line. The Terriers opened with a nice win over Mt. Union. The Big Red have dropped two in a row after two good wins to start the year, the last a 13-point home loss to Case. Hiram will try to discombobulate everything Denison will want to do, the question is will the Big Red fall for the bait?

[smedindy]

And we have our first final!

DPU got it going on in the second half and bested Earlham 77-65. Adam Botts led the New Tigers with 17. Nice balance for DPU with Michael Wilkinson adding 16 and Connor Rich and Barry Flynn chipping in 15.

[woosterbooster]

If Witt is looking ahead to their big matchup Saturday, Marietta may pip them.

I'd pay good money to see Wittenberg get pipped.

[smedindy]

Got Oberlin and Kalamazoo on the video feed, tied at 50. The announcer sounds like he's imitating the old Roy Firestone character, Biff Barnes.

Kalamazoo beat Oberlin 55-53. The Yeomen had a lot of chances at the end, but it wasn't to be. Alas.

[pennstghs]

If Witt is looking ahead to their big matchup Saturday, Marietta may pip them.

I'd pay good money to see Wittenberg get pipped.

Sorry guys, Wittenberg wins 73-63! End result never really in doubt, just like the first several games of the season Witt won the battle of the boards but played great defense and shot exceptionally well from the floor. REally like this team so far as they are balanced and force you to guard them all over the floor.

Unfortunately this is the first year in like 8 years I cannot attend the Witt-Wooster game. I will be reffing somewhere, but I blame the NCAC for making this game so early where I forgot to block my schedule. HOpefully another Witt win!

[wooscotsfan]

Final:  Wooster 67  Ohio Northern 56 

Wooster notches another road win over an OAC team with a good game against the Polar Bears.

Scots were led tonight by Jake Mays with 17 points (8 boards), Xavier Brown with 15 points, Josh Claytor with 12 points and Doug Thorpe with 10 points

Ohio Northern's top scorers were Branden Rushton with 22 points and Isaiah Roux with 13 points.

Wooster is now 4-1, 1-0 NCAC     Next game is at Wittenberg on Saturday.

GO SCOTS!

[smedindy]

Overall, another good night for the NCAC. Two more wins:

Kenyon beat Muskingum 67-63.
OWU topped Capital 64-53.

A 5-1 record and a sweep of the OAC tonight. I rechecked and it seems we're 26-15 overall non conference by my tally. I accidentally double counted wins earlier. Sigh.

[fantastic50]

In looking at the boxscore, it appears that the post players led the way tonight for the Scots.  Mays was 8-for-9 from the field, and had 8 rebounds, while Claytor was 3-for-4 on field goals and hit 6 of 8 foul shots, along with adding 6 rebounds.  Xavier Brown did nearly all of his damage at the free-throw line, shooting 11-for-12 there, while hitting only 2 of 13 from the field; however, Brown did have 6 rebounds and 4 assists. 

This team again appears to still lack a perimeter shooter, with only a single three-pointer hit, in 9 attempts.  The Scots had 17 turnovers, while only forcing 9 by ONU.  However, Wooster held the Polar Bears to 33% shooting from the field, and 3-of-21 (14%) from beyond the arc, which is encouraging.

Now it's time to ... BEAT WITT!