MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[smedindy]

I'd say Witt probably falls to fifth, but there's no shame in that. Four great teams ahead of them.

[wooscotsfan]

Wooster won 3 of 4 critical stats categories in tonight's game: 

-Wooster had the higher shooting percentage at 56% FG
-Wooster made 12 three pointers to 6 for Witt (52% shootng on three's by Woo!)
-Wooster only had 9 turnovers vs. 10 for Witt
-Witt outrebounded Wooster 30 to 25

Basically, the extra three pointers and the higher shooting percentage were the difference in this game.  Free throws were essentially even until the last 2 minutes when Witt had to foul and Wooster then made 6 or more in a row.

Great effort tonight by Tom Port who had his first full speed practice just yesterday!    He played tough "D", made 3 of 7 three point shots and pulled down some key rebounds.  Coach Moore was very impressed with the way Port played tonight given the games he missed.

[David Collinge]

Here's the points Wittenberg has allowed in the 21 games they've played this year:
55, 50, 54, 51, 52, 59, 86, 54, 43, 36, 49, 51, 51, 57, 41, 60, 56, 48, 49, 49, 86

Can anyone pick out the two Wooster games from that lineup?   

I'm mighty impressed with Wooster's effort tonight.

[smedindy]

Around the NCAC:

OWU beats Allegheny 77-67. Chojnacki had a double double with 19 and 12.

Oberlin knocks off Hiram 102-100 in 3OTs. Oberlin had an 18 point lead in the first half and almost coughed it up.

The Yeomen's Quiton Spencer goes for 47 (47!) and plays all 55 minutes. Godwin has 23 and also plays all 55 minutes for Oberlin.

AJ White plays 52 minutes and scores 26. TC Spencer added 22.

[smedindy]

Earlham bests Kenyon 70-60. Brandon Miller scores 20 off the bench. This sets up a H-U-G-E game Wednesday at Chadwick. The winner likely hosts in the first round - the loser goes on the road.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Here's the points Wittenberg has allowed in the 21 games they've played this year:
55, 50, 54, 51, 52, 59, 86, 54, 43, 36, 49, 51, 51, 57, 41, 60, 56, 48, 49, 49, 86

Can anyone pick out the two Wooster games from that lineup?   

I'm mighty impressed with Wooster's effort tonight.

David,

That is one of the most impressive comparisons I've ever seen!  In 19 other games NO one came within 25 points of scoring as much against Witt as Woo did!  WOW!

[WooMix]

Why didn't Brandon Miller start?

[wooscotsfan]

NCAC Standings through today's games:

12-0  Wooster (20-1)
10-2  Wittenberg (19-2)
9-3  Ohio Wesleyan (14-7)
7-5  Wabash (13-8)
7-5  Earlham (10-11)
4-8  Allegheny (8-12)
3-9  Kenyon (6-15)
1-11  Hiram (3-18)
1-11  Oberlin (1-19)

Congrats to the Yeomen on their first win.  4th place (and the home court in the first round of the NCAC tournament) is a tight race between Wabash and Earlham.  These two teams match up next Wednesday.  OWU still has home games remaining vs. Witt and Wooster.

[David Collinge]

I don't doubt that we'll have some guests in our little room tonight.  For those guests, here's some links:

Game story by Wooster's SID, Hugh Howard

Game story by Wittenberg's SID, Ryan Maurer

Box score, including play-by-play, from Wittenberg's website

Enjoy your stay! 

[smedindy]

Forgot Denison at 6-6 and 10-11 there. They're still in the mix for fourth, but it will be a tall order now.

[imderekpoe]

Great game by the Scots tonight.  Between the play-by-play on the other boards and what's already been posted here, there's not too much to add (but of course, I'll still put my 2-cents in!)

Another great game for Cooper.  24 pts (8 for 12 from the floor, 3-5 on 3's), 4 boards, 5 assists, and a steal.  I was concerned that he might be too hyped up for the game, but he came out under control, scored the Scots 1st 5 pts, and hit the HUGE 3-pointer at the half.  

Brandon Johnson was super down the stretch with some good ball-handling and clutch foul shooting.  This guy is so athletic and has got a ton of talent.  

Evan Will didn't do much in the first half, but the 4 or 5 minutes that he played in the 2nd were great.  He made several big buckets at a time when the Scots really needed someone to step up.

Port was a little cold at first, and maybe pressing a bit on offense.  He did get more into the flow in the 2nd half and was his usual self with several huge rebounds.  There didn't appear to be any ill effects from the injury.

The sweat on the floor was really a problem - guys were slipping all over the place.  The problem was that the refs seemed to be stopping play every time the Scots got the ball, which disrupted the tempo of their offense.  It seems that the officials at Witt should have been able to do something in preparation for the game to better regulate the temp of the gym.  Sure, you put 3100 people in that space its gonna get hot.  So turn on the A/C!.  Open the door!  There's gotta be a better answer than having the AD and his assistant constantly wiping the floor.

The other (minor) thing that bugged me was the seating arrangements.  We got there about 5:30 and I wanted to sit in the top row behind the Scots bench.  The assistant AD was blocking the aisle, saying that they wanted all the Wooster fans in the 300 seats directly behind the bench.  Were the seats higher up reserved? No!  But any time someone from Wooster tried to sit higher up, they kept trying to move us down.  I never really understood what the point of that was.  But I guess we shouldn't have to worry about that again this season!!  

[wally_wabash]

Remember Smeds, Wabash still has games left with Witt and Wooster.  Earlham is free and clear of the heavyweights for the duration of the regular season.  The game is absolutely must win for Wabash.  Earlham can lose Wednesday and still win out (toughest game is OWU at home for the Quakers...not easy, but winnable) to beat Wabash out for fourth place.  The LGs are going to need to win Wednesday and get an assist from the Bishops...or hope to find lightning in a bottle against one of the other Ws.  

[imderekpoe]

I'm curious to hear what Pat and Lenny had to say about the game on their broadcast.  Did anyone here listen to them??

[smedindy]

Oh, Wally, I know that for sure. But what I don't know is how the tiebreakers will work out if they both finish 9-7.

[David Collinge]

I'm curious to hear what Pat and Lenny had to say about the game on their broadcast.  Did anyone here listen to them??

I had WQKT on.  I started out with Pat, but the sound quality just wasn't as good, so I switched to the old reliable.  I also would have liked to hear their take.  Maybe it'll be available in archive form.