Earlham 79, Ohio Wesleyan 73

Feb. 16, 2008

Senior post Dustin Rudegeair (Yellow Springs) scored to bring Ohio Wesleyan within a single point with 3:28 remaining in regulation time, but Earlham scored the next 4 points and put the game away at the free throw line in defeating the Bishops in North Coast Athletic Conference action on Saturday in Richmond, Ind.

Rudegeair's lay-in brought the Bishops within 70-69, but the Quakers got lay-ins by Tristian Gregory and Justin Carter on their next 2 possessions to open up a 74-69 lead with 2:33 remaining.

Junior wing Kyle Miller (Delaware/Hayes) hit a lay-in that made it a 74-71 game with :50 to play, and after Carter and junior wing Kyle Holliday (Van Wert) traded lay-ins, Earlham led by a 76-73 margin with :15 to play.

The Bishops fouled Gregory, who hit the second of 2 free throws to make it a 2-possession game, and after an Ohio Wesleyan miss, Gregory hit 2 more free throws to account for the 79-73 final.

Ohio Wesleyan threatened to break the game open early, breaking a 5-5 tie with a 13-1 run that featured 3 baskets by senior post Jesse Jean (Alexandria, Va./Hyde (Conn.) School) and 3-pointers by Holliday and senior wing Brian Cafarella (Westerville/North). The Bishops extended the lead to 26-11 on a 3-pointer by junior wing Mitch Noggle (Dublin/Coffman) with 8:44 left in the first half, and still led by 15 points at 31-16 with 5:12 to play in the period.

Earlham ended the first half with an 11-3 run, with Gregory contributing a 3-pointer, a lay-in and a pair of free throws, to close to within 34-27 at halftime, and the Quakers picked right up where they left off to open the second half, with Neil Collins raining down three 3-pointers and Terrel Brown and Carter hitting trifectas as Earlham outscored Ohio Wesleyan, 15-1, to take a 42-35 lead just over 3 minutes into the period.

The Quakers led by a 47-39 count on Nick Welsh's dunk with 15:26 left, but Ohio Wesleyan roared back with the next 8 points, tying the game at 47 on Jean's lay-in at the 12:35 mark.

Earlham countered by scoring the next 6 points, taking the lead for good on Malick Keita's jumper and adding scores by Carter and Berry for a 53-47 lead, and while Ohio Wesleyan would close within a single marker on 4 different occasions, the Bishops would not come all the way back.

Rudegeair led the Bishops with 20 points, while Jean finished with 14 points and Holliday added 12 points and a team-high 3 assists. Miller grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds.

Gregory paced Earlham with 23 points, Carter finished with 16 points and Collins had 14 points and a team-high 7 rebounds.

Box Score