Story By: Ryan Maurer
E-Mail: rmaurer@wittenberg.edu
Date: February 26, 2004

Box Score

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The College of Wooster Fighting Scots advanced to their 10th straight North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Championship game by fighting past the Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops, 72-67, on Thursday in the first semifinal at Wittenberg's HPER Center.

The second-seeded and sixth-ranked Scots improved to 23-3 overall with the victory, while third-seeded OWU ended the season with a 19-8 overall record.

While there were plenty of players on the court, Wooster's Rodney Mitchell and Ohio Wesleyan's Travis Schwab stole the show. Mitchell hit for a career-high 27 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 shooting from the free throw line to lead the Scots to their third win of the season over OWU. Schwab drained an NCAC Tournament record-tying 14 field goals, including a career-high four three-pointers, and finished with an NCAC Tournament record 40 points, breaking an 18-year-old record previously held by OWU's Scott Tedder.

While the score was close throughout, there were just three lead changes, and none after 12:02 showed on the clock in the first half. Mitchell hit a three-pointer at that point to give the Scots a 16-14 lead they would never relinquish. Wooster was nursing a 32-29 lead going into halftime and stretched it out to as much as 12 on several occasions in the final 20 minutes. OWU made a final rush, thanks largely to Schwab - who had 26 of the team's 38 second-half points, and closed to within three points with 3:25 left in the game. But Mitchell hit four free throws in the final 1:22 to keep the Bishops at bay.

Wooster moves on to the championship, which is scheduled for Saturday at 3 p.m. The Scots have won three of the last four tournament titles and eight all-time.