Scots Off To Best Start Since 1931 After Win Over Hiram

Bryan Nelson collected 13 points and eight rebounds in the win.

HIRAM, Ohio - With a 78-58 triumph over host Hiram College in North Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball action Sunday afternoon, second-ranked College of Wooster is now off to an 8-0 start for the first time since the 1931 season when legendary coach E.M. "Mose" Hole's team won its first nine. Also, it marked Wooster's 37th consecutive victory against a conference opponent - a streak that includes NCAC Tournament games and dates back to Jan. 4, 1999.

Hiram, which dropped to 2-6 overall and 2-2 in the NCAC, scored the first basket of the game, but that would be its only lead of the contest. Wooster answered by scoring 10 of the next 12 points to take a 10-4 advantage and went on to lead by as many as nine in the first half (32-23) prior to settling for a 34-27 cushion at the break.

The Terriers opened up the second stanza with five-straight points to cut the lead to two, however, Wooster responded with a 14-2 run to take a 48-34 lead. From that point forward, the Scots were ahead by double figures, including a high of 23 points at 74-51, en route to its third league win in 2000-01.

Following a career-high 29-point outing against Westminster College (Pa.) on Dec. 9, junior guard Antwyan Reynolds (Mansfield, Ohio / Mansfield Senior) led nine Wooster players who scored with a game-high 18 points, despite picking up two fouls in the first 2:19 of the ballgame. Sophomore forward Bryan Nelson (Kettering, Ohio / Kettering Fairmont) posted 13 points and eight boards in the victory.

Also for the Scots, junior center Brian Carlisle (Dayton, Ohio / Oakwood) hit 6-of-8 field goals for a dozen points, senior wing Steve Thompson (Orrville, Ohio / Rittman) contributed a season-high 12 tallies, and sophomore wing Matt Smith (Elida, Ohio / Elida) chipped in 10 points.

Only one Hiram player reached double digits, as senior forward S. Clinton Blockson had 15 points to go along with his game-high nine rebounds.

Overall, Wooster converted 46.6 percent (27-for-58) of its shots from the floor, but struggled from behind the arc, making just 25.0 percent (6-for-24) of its three-point attempts. The Scots' defense limited the hosts to 35.7 percent (20-for-56) shooting from the field, including a paltry 26.7 percent (8-for-30) in the second 20 minutes of play, which turned out to be the difference in the contest.

Wooster returns to action on Tuesday, Dec. 19, when it will be putting its NCAC winning streak and its NCAA-leading home unbeaten string of 36 games on the line against Denison University (1-7, 1-2 NCAC). Tipoff for "Community Night", which means free admission for everybody, will be at 7:30 p.m.