Ohio Wesleyan 74, Roanoke 55

Jan. 2, 2010

Freshman guard Andy Winters (Columbus/Bishop Watterson) drilled a 3-pointer to cap a 14-2 run that wiped out a 10-point first-half deficit, and junior wing Dillon McBride (Medina) hit a pair of 3-pointers during a 14-4 second-half run that opened up a double-digit lead as Ohio Wesleyan defeated Roanoke in the first round of the Morris Cregger Invitational, hosted by Roanoke College on Saturday in Salem, Va.

In Saturday's opener, Defiance edged Ferrum, 87-85.

Ohio Wesleyan will take on Defiance in the tournament championship game at 1 p.m. on Sunday, to be followed by Ferrum against Roanoke in the consolation game at 3 p.m. Ohio Wesleyan and Defiance met earlier this season, with Defiance nipping the Bishops by a 74-71 count on Nov. 24 in Defiance.

Roanoke took an early 6-3 lead with the help of jumpers by Melvin Felix and Logan Singleton, and the Maroons got a 3-pointer and a jumper from the lane by Singleton and a jumper from Kendrick Chittock to take a 17-7 lead at the 14:05 mark of the first half.

Freshman post Billy Reilich (Dayton/Centerville) scored back-to-back buckets to pull the Bishops within 17-11, and after a Roanoke bucket, junior wing Mike Schwartz (Upper Arlington) added a 3-pointer and a lay-in as Ohio Wesleyan pared the margin to 19-16 at the midway point of the half. Junior post Andrew Martin (New Albany) canned a jumper from the lane before Winters capped the Bishop run with a 3-pointer that gave Ohio Wesleyan a 21-19 lead with 8:08 remaining in the period.

The Maroons recovered to take a 25-21 lead on a pair of free throws by Singleton, but sophomore wing Tim Brady (Dublin/Jerome) erupted for Ohio Wesleyan's next 10 points, collecting a pair of 3-pointers and a pair of lay-ins as the Bishops took a 31-27 lead in the closing minutes of the half.

Ohio Wesleyan still led, 43-40, with 14:25 left in regulation time when the Bishops took off on their 14-2 run. Brady started the Bishop spurt with a 3-pointer and Reilich followed with a basket before McBride added a free throw and a 3-pointer. After free throws by Reilich and freshman post Marshall Morris (Tulsa, Okla./Jenks), McBride hit another 3-pointer for a 57-44 Bishop lead with 6:50 to play, and the lead would remain in double figures for the rest of the contest.

Brady led the Bishops with 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting, while McBride finished with 13 points. Sophomore post Pat Pellerite (Olmsted Falls) led the Bishops with 10 rebounds and freshman guard Eric Easley (Columbus/Thomas Worthington) had a team-high 5 assists.

Singleton led the Maroons with 13 points, and Chittock collected 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Box Score