MARIETTA, Ohio -- Misericordia's second foray into the NCAA Tournament ended the way their first one did, falling in the first round.
The College of Wooster capitalized on a strong second-half shooting performance, defeating the Cougars 84-59. In this edition of sparkling offense vs. stingy defense, it was the Fighting Scots' 19th-best points-per-game output that came out on top on this night.
The Cougars were forced to play from behind for the final 35 minutes of regulation time. They last led 12-11 with 13:57 remaining in the first half. Seemingly, the Fighting Scots could not miss from that point on, ending the night shooting 51% from the field in total.
The balance of the game seemed to hinge on one play in the waning seconds of the first half. A trey by sophomore Griffin Sponaugle combined with a layup by fellow sophomore James Hawk trimmed a large Wooster lead to as few as 4. Off of the transition play, Wooster's Evan Pannell received an argued illegal screen from behind the arc at the top of the key, draining a three-point shot of his own as the buzzer sounded. That re-established the lead back to seven points at the half.
"It changed my mood," Misericordia coach Trevor Woodruff said. "I thought there was a clear missed illegal screen that got the kid open. Give him credit, he made the shot."
After that point, Wooster rode that emotional wave by outscoring the Cougars 40-22 in the final frame.
"I don't think that had a huge effect on the second half, but psychologically maybe going down four, not really having shot all that well, maybe that gives us a brighter outlook in the second half," Woodruff added.
"They came out and punched us in the face and we just couldn't get it back," senior guard Joe Busacca said after the game. "They were just making shots, and we weren't."
A usually reliable offense went completely silent in the second half. Misericordia made just seven buckets from the field in the second half, shooting 25%. They also only made two three-pointers all day, shooting a season-low 11.8% for the game.
The swan song for two of the most productive players in Misericordia basketball history ended in productive fashion. Busacca splashed 17 points in 39 minutes, and fellow senior Steve Ware added 12 points in 30 minutes of play. Busacca ended his career on a massive 19-game double-figure scoring streak.
"It was emotional," Busacca said of his exit. "I gave [the coaching staff] all I could."
Misericordia dictated the pace early, holding the lead within the game's first five minutes. Wooster led by as many as 10 thanks to Dan Fanelly's domination in the post. He finished with a team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Wooster's largest lead inflated to as many as 27 on two separate occasions in the second half. Their depth and speed outclassed the Cougars, who, according to Busacca, never gave up on the game.
Wooster had entered this game with loads of NCAA Tournament experience. They had reached the big dance for 20 of the last 21 years under experienced head coach Steve Moore. That aside, Woodruff did not see fear in his players' eyes.
"I didn't think our guys were just happy to be here," he said. "That's why I didn't see this coming. I thought we were even-keeled and focused. I thought they were really good offensively, they were equally as good defensively."
"Give credit to Wooster," Busacca concluded. "They were the better team tonight."
Wooster will move on in the tournament to play the winner of the nightcap between Marietta and Medaille.
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