Scots Complete Comeback, Edge St. Thomas 85-79 to Win Al Van Wie Classic

Devin Fulk hit this jump shot in the lane with 27 seconds left to give Wooster an 82-77 lead and basically clinch the victory.

WOOSTER, Ohio — After trailing most of the game, The College of Wooster finally took the lead with about seven minutes remaining and hung on for an 85-79 victory over the University of St. Thomas on Saturday night, as the Fighting Scots won their season-opening tournament, the 14th annual Al Van Wie/ Wooster Rotary Classic, for the sixth year in a row and 11th time overall.

St. Thomas (1-1) took the lead during the early stages and was ahead by as much as 10 points (34-24) in the opening half, however, Wooster (2-0) closed that stanza with eight unanswered points, including five from tournament Most Valuable Player Marty Bidwell (Middletown, Ohio / Bishop Fenwick), to pull within 38-37.

A theme seemed to develop during the second half, as the Scots would make a series of runs to pull within one possession of the lead only to see the Tommies build it back up to 4-to-8 points. The key sequence may have been, with St. Thomas ahead 60-54 and a couple of Wooster’s post players in foul trouble, when Evan Will (Dublin, Ohio / Dublin Coffman) tapped an offensive rebound out to Bidwell, who had missed a second free throw attempt, and Bidwell in turn sunk a 3-pointer at the top of the key to pull within two (60-58).

Moments later, a couple of Brandon Johnson (Columbus, Ohio / Groveport Madison) free throws gave the Scots a lead (63-62) for the first time since it was 8-7. On Wooster’s next possession, Devin Fulk (Newark, Ohio / Licking Valley) canned a 3-pointer from the left wing, which made it a 66-62 advantage.

Marty Bidwell, pictured here during the first half of the championship game, was named the MVP of the Al Van Wie Classic after scoring 38 points to go with 12 assists in two games.

The Tommies wouldn’t go away, tying the game at 69 on a 3-pointer from Joe Scott around the five-minute mark. This time, it was the Scots who had the answer, as James Cooper (Springfield, Ohio / Springfield South) buried a 3-pointer from the right side on the ensuing possession.

The margin continued to stay within one possession until Johnson hit a driving lay-up with 3:00 to play, providing Wooster with a five-point cushion (78-73). Though St. Thomas pulled within three a couple of times, the Tommies never had the ball and a chance to tie the rest of the way, as the Scots secured the win.

The statistics bear out how evenly the game was played. Both teams shot slightly over 50 percent from the field, with Wooster at 28-of-51 (.549) and St. Thomas at 29-of-55 (.527), and each squad made nine 3-pointers. They turned the ball over 15 times apiece, while the Tommies held a slight edge in assists (19-18).

The difference may have been rebounding for the Scots, owning a 30-25 advantage in that category, and they also got to the charity stripe more often, hitting 20-of-26 free throws (.769) to St. Thomas’ 12-of-13 (.923).

Individually, Bidwell was a force on both ends of the floor, earning the MVP trophy with 19 points on 6-of-9 field goals (3-of-5 3-pointers), six assists, and two steals. Johnson was the defensive MVP and added 12 points, while also garnering a nod on the all-tournament team at the Al Van Wie Classic for the third-straight season was Cooper. He led all scorers with 20 points, including 3-of-5 3-pointers.

Fulk also played a significant role, tallying 19 points, as did Will, who hustled his way to a team-high nine rebounds and a couple of steals.

Scott and Lonnie Robinson each tossed in 15 points and represented St. Thomas on the all-tourney team.

In Saturday’s consolation game, Farmingdale State College had just enough offense to get past Otterbein College 98-94. The Rams’ Damien Santana set a tournament record with 37 points, coming on 13-of-21 field goals, including 7-of-11 3-pointers, while Ross Banaszak of Otterbein also ended up with seven 3-pointers as part of a 25-point outing. They took up spots on the all-tournament team as well.

After a brief break for Thanksgiving, Wooster will return to action on Sunday, Nov. 25, for what could prove to be a pivotal regional game at Lake Erie College (1-1). Opening tip is set for 7 p.m.