Ohio Wesleyan 83, Denison 70

Jan. 5, 2008

Senior post Dustin Rudegeair (Yellow Springs) scored 6 points during a 12-4 run that helped Ohio Wesleyan open up a double-digit, second-half lead, and senior post Jesse Jean (Alexandria, Va./Hyde (Conn.) School) had 6 points as the Bishops scored the last 8 points of the game to seal a North Coast Athletic Conference win over Denison on Saturday at Branch Rickey Arena.

Denison used the early scoring of Larry Farmer and rugged defensive play to lead by as many as 7 points during the first half. Trailing, 18-16, the Big Red went on a 9-0 run that included a 3-pointer by Brian Elder and baskets by Pat Sullivan and Jeremy Stuhlfauth to take a 25-18 lead with 8:30 left in the first half. Farmer, who hit his first 6 shots from the field, added a basket and a 3-point play and Chris Eberst sank a 3-pointer as Denison took a 33-27 lead with 6:39 remaining in the period.

Ohio Wesleyan responded with an 11-1 burst, getting a 3-pointer from junior wing Kyle Holliday (Van Wert), a free throw and consecutive lay-ins by Rudegeair, and a 3-pointer from senior guard Casey Teeters (Westerville/Columbus St. Charles) for a 38-34 lead with 1:33 left.

The Big Red battled back with a Chris Luther 3-pointer and a pair of Sullivan free throws to take a 39-38 halftime lead, and Denison opened the second half with a jumper by Stuhlfauth for a 41-38 lead.

Rudegeair and Teeters answered with back-to-back 3-pointers that put Ohio Wesleyan ahead to stay, and Teeters and senior wing Brian Cafarella (Westerville/North) added 3-pointers that stretched the Bishop lead to 56-49 with 14:02 remaining.

Denison rallied to within 56-54 on a Caleb McFerren lay-in and a Sullivan 3-pointer, but the Bishops countered with their 12-4 run.

Rudegeair had 3 lay-ins and junior wing Kyle Miller (Delaware/Hayes) added a tip-in and a fast-break lay-in as Ohio Wesleyan took a 68-58 lead with 8:25 to go.

The Big Red had one more rally left, closing to within 75-70 on a pair of Luther free throws with 2:35 to play, but those would be Denison's last points of the game.

Jean took over from there, scoring on an offensive rebound on Ohio Wesleyan's next possession, then recording a defensive rebound and a blocked shot on Denison's following 2 possessions. Jean hit 4 straight free throws during the final 1:09 to help seal the win.

Rudegeair finished with 25 points, matching his career best. The 25 points raised his career total to 1005, making him the 24th Ohio Wesleyan men's basketball player to reach that figure.

Jean finished with a double-double, compiling 16 points and 13 rebounds as well as leading the Bishops with 4 assists. Teeters added a career-high 15 points, hitting his first 5 shots from beyond the arc before finishing with a 5-for-6 shooting day.

Sullivan led the Big Red with 17 points and 5 assists. Farmer finished with 16 points and Stuhlfauth had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Box Score