Scots Finish Fourth in NCAA Div. III Tournament

Tim Vandervaart hits a turnaround jumper along the right baseline in the first half.

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SALEM, Va. – The College of Wooster men’s basketball team’s second trip in five seasons to the “Final Four” of the NCAA Div. III Tournament resulted in a fourth-place finish, as in Saturday afternoon’s consolation game, Washington (Mo.) University exploded for a 23-4 run midway through the second half and went on to a 92-84 win over the Fighting Scots in the Salem Civic Center.

Wooster, which finished in third-place in 2003, wraps up a 2006-07 season that saw the Scots produce the second-most wins in team history (29-4), their 10th North Coast Athletic Conference championship, and four NCAA tourney victories.

On Saturday, it was tied 50-50 and then the Bears suddenly built a 19-point margin (73-54) during a 6:23 stretch. Washington made 9-of-14 field goals, while Wooster was ice cold (2-of-10) and committed an uncharacteristic seven turnovers over the decisive run.
The Scots had a rally in them, though, pulling within striking distance via a 10-1 run, which made it 74-64 with a little over five minutes to go. Then, Aaron Thompson buried a 3-pointer at the top of the key, giving the Bears a 13-point lead and they were able to maintain a double-digit cushion most of the rest of the way.

With 41.8 seconds remaining, though, Tom Port (Avon Lake, Ohio / Avon Lake) drained a 3-pointer to cut it to 86-79. A couple possessions later, Devin Fulk (Newark, Ohio / Licking Valley) added a 3-pointer, making it a six-point game (90-84) at the 28.3 mark, however, Washington was near-perfect on free throws (7-of-8) during the last minute.

In the first half, neither team led by more than five and Wooster held a 35-34 lead at the break.
Tim Vandervaart (North Canton, Ohio / Hoover) led the Scots in scoring for the second-straight day, this time collecting 16 points on 8-of-13 field goals. He also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, marking his fifth double-double of the season and 19th of his career.

Evan Will drives past Washington's Zach Kelly for a layup in the first half.

Four other Wooster players finished in double figures, as Brandon Johnson (Columbus, Ohio / Groveport Madison), Fulk, Port, and Andy Van Horn (Loudonville, Ohio / Loudonville) chipped in 15, 13, 13, and 11 points, respectively. Fulk also came up with a career-high 10 rebounds, marking his first double-double.

Tyler Nading paced five Bears in double figures with 22 points. Sean Wallis contributed a 20-point game (21) as well, while Thompson, who ironically, is the younger brother of Wooster senior Tara Thompson, provided Washington with a boost, tallying 16 points, about 10 above his season average (6.9).

As a team, the Scots did not have their shooting touch, finishing at 42.3 percent from the field (33-of-78), compared to 52.0 percent for the season. Wooster also struggled from the foul line (.571; 8-of-14), an area where the Bears excelled (.844; 27-of-32).