Fulk Has Big Night, But Scots Drop Tough Game at Lake Erie

Devin Fulk

Senior guard Devin Fulk (Newark, Ohio / Licking Valley) notched the second double-double of his career, including a career-high 14 rebounds, but it was not enough as The College of Wooster suffered an 86-84 setback at Lake Erie College when a potential tying shot at the buzzer missed off the back rim to end Sunday night back-and-forth non-conference match-up in Painesville, Ohio.

Wooster (2-1), ranked eighth by D3hoops.com, came back from a 43-31 deficit at halftime and went ahead by as much as seven points during the second only to fall short down the stretch. After the Fighting Scots took a 71-64 advantage, Lake Erie (3-1), which is coming off a 25-3 season and second-straight appearance in the NCAA Div. III Tournament, went on a 14-3 run, gaining a two-possession lead with about 3:30 remaining.

The two squads would then exchange buckets, followed by an old-fashioned three-point play from Brandon Johnson (Columbus, Ohio / Groveport Madison) that pulled Wooster within 80-79. Both defenses then clamped down, creating three-straight steals, and shortly after the third, Fulk got to the free throw line where he sunk both for an 81-80 lead.

The Storm would tie it on the ensuing possession, making 1-of-3 from the charity stripe. Next, they retook the lead when John Dickinson stole the ball just after the Scots had crossed halfcourt and fed it to teammate Darnell Campbell for a fast-break dunk (83-81).

Evan Will (Dublin, Ohio / Dublin Coffman) evened the score moments later when he got free underneath for a lay-up. That marked the seventh and final tie of the game, as Campbell answered with a lay-up of his own to make it 85-83.

During the final 45 seconds, Wooster had numerous chances to tie again or even take the lead, but combined to shoot 1-for-4 on free throws. Lake Erie split a pair of attempts at the charity stripe for the 86-84 margin with 3.2 seconds remaining and the Scots would get one last look when an in-bounds pass was tipped to Fulk, but the hurried attempt from about 10 feet away was just off.

The Storm didn’t crack the scoreboard for the game’s first three minutes, however, they outscored Wooster 29-13 over the final nine minutes of the first half, including the biggest lead of 12 at the break.

The Scots started the second with an 8-0 rally and it remained within two possessions until their aforementioned largest lead of seven.

Overall, Wooster had a low shooting night for its standards, making 42.9 percent from the field (27-of-63), including 7-of-21 3-pointers, while Lake Erie was at just under 50 percent from the floor (32-of-66). The Scots won the rebounding battle 46-36, but committed 20 turnovers, which may have been the difference as the Storm converted those into 25 points.

In addition to his 14 boards, Fulk matched a career-high in scoring with 23 points on 8-of-14 field goals, including three 3-pointers, and 4-of-4 free throws. James Cooper (Springfield, Ohio / Springfield South) chipped in 16 points during an off-night shooting, while Will and Johnson added 15 and 13, respectively.

Campbell and Derrick Thornton accounted for more than half of Lake Erie’s scoring, with Thornton pouring in a game-high 26 points and Campbell 23.

Wooster has six days to shake off this loss, as it will not play again until Saturday night at traditional NAIA power Cedarville University (2-2).