Posted: Nov 20, 2012
BEREA, OHIO – Junior All-OAC forward Kyle Payne (Brunswick) scores 14 points but the Baldwin Wallace University men's basketball team fell to No.13-ranked The College of Wooster, 81-74, in the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium inside the Lou Higgins Center.
This game marked BW's second straight game to open the season against a 2011-12 conference champion. The Yellow Jackets opened the season last Saturday by beating defending Presidents Athletic Conference champ and No.25-ranked Bethany (W.Va.) College, 80-75, in Berea.
With its loss, BW is 1-1 overall and plays NCAC foe Allegheny (Pa.) College at home this Saturday, Nov. 24 at 7:00 p.m. With its win, Wooster is 2-1 overall.
In addition to Payne, junior All-OAC guard Kevin Krakowiak (Valley City/ Holy Name) and junior transfer guard Justin Roth (Parma) each had 11 points. For Wooster, sophomore guard Jalen Goodwin for Wooster, senior center Jake Mays had 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, sophomore guard Xavier Brown had 13 points and sophomore guard Evan Pannell had 11 markers.
The Fighting Scots jumped out an early, 2-0 lead at the 19:38 mark when Pannell drove the lane and made a layup. After more than four scoreless minutes, the Scots made it 4-0 at 15:26 when Brown made a jump shot. BW finally got on the board when made a jumper at 15:09. The Yellow Jackets tied it at 4-4 when Payne made two foul shots.
Wooster scored the next seven points to take an 11-4 lead at 12:34 when freshman forward Josh Kipfer made a reverse layup. BW again countered when senior 2-time Academic All-OAC forward Chris Ameen (Broadview Heights/ Walsh Jesuit) scored, was fouled and completed the three-point play at 12:18.
After Wooster restored its 7-point lead at 14-7, BW outscored the Scots 13-4 to take its first lead at 20-18 when Roth made both ends of a one-and-one situation. Roth led the charge by scoring seven of the nine points. The lead grew to five points at 23-18 at 6:57 when Ameen canned a triple.
After BW led 26-20, Wooster ran off 10 straight point to lead 30-20 with 2:51 left when senior forward Josh Claytor made both ends of a one-and-one. The run ended when Krakowiak countered with two foul shots at 2:21 to make it 30-28. The Scots outscored BW 7-5 the remainder of the half to lead 37-33 at the intermission.
The Yellow Jackets opened the second half with a three-pointer by junior center Tyler Ferrell (Brunswick) at 19:31 to make it 37-36, but Wooster went on an 8-1 run to lead by its largest margin of eight points at 45-37 with 17:27 left when Mays scored, but missed his foul shot that could have extended the lead.
After Wooster grabbed a 10-point bulge at 51-41 with 15:07 left, BW went on a 5-point run to close to 51-46 when junior center Aaron Selmek (Delaware/ Columbus De Sales) scored at 14:13. BW outscored Wooster 12-7 to tie the game at 58-all when Roth drove the lane and scored.
BW regained the lead at 61-60 with 9:01 left when Krakowiak canned a trey, but Wooster tied it at 61-61 when May made a foul shot at 8:40. BW then led 64-61 when junior guard Grant Fairhurst (Ashland/ Senior) made a three-pointer at 8:06, but Wooster came right back to tie it at 64-all at 7:38 when Pannell made an old-fashioned three and then took a 67-64 lead at 7:08 when Brown drove the lane, scored, was fouled and made his foul shot.
Senior Academic All-OAC guard Ben Umbel (Poland/ Seminary) made it 67-66 when he made a steal, scored, but missed his foul shot at 6:28. Payne tied it at 67-all with one of two foul shots at 5:21.
Claytor gave Wooster a 69-67 lead with two foul shots at 4:31 but Payne tied it at 69-all with a layup at 4:14. Wooster gained a 71-69 lead at 3:51 when junior guard Doug Thorpe made a layup and BW countered with a layup by sophomore guard Jaron Crowe (Mentor) at 3:24. Crowe could have given BW the lead, but missed a foul shot to complete a 3-point play.
Wooster grabbed a 74-71 lead when Goodwin canned a trey at 3:24 but BW closed to 74-73 at 3:03 when Payne made a jumper. Goodwin hit a runner in the lane at 1:21 to make it 76-73, but Payne countered with a foul shot at 1:04 to make it 76-74.
After Wooster missed its shot to gain a 4-point lead, BW had a chance to tie but an Umbel runner in the lane was off its mark. Mays grabbed the rebound with 15.4 seconds left and was fouled. He made the first for a 77-74 lead and BW called timeout. Mays missed his second shot and Goodwin grabbed the rebound and "iced" the game with a pair of charity tosses with 13 seconds left to make it 79-74. Thorpe ended matters when he made two foul shots with 6.4 seconds left.
Following its game this Saturday versus Allegheny, BW travels to University Circle for a game against cross-town rival Case Western Reserve University on Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m. BW, picked by the Ohio Athletic Conference Coaches to finish second this winter, opens OAC play on Wednesday, December 5 against Ohio Northern University in Berea.
FOR MORE BW SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at kruple@bw.edu or Assistant SID Jeff Miller by phone at 440-826-2780 and email at jefmille@bw.edu. Fans can access the latest BW athletics information at www.bwyellowjackets.com and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.
