The Muskingum men's basketball team slipped in their season-opener against #21 Wooster on Wednesday night, 108-100.
The Basics
• Records: Muskingum (0-1), Wooster (1-0)
• Location: Wooster, Ohio
Notables
• Junior Marcus Dempsey's 33 points are the second-most in a game in the 25-year history of the Al Van Wie Rotary Classic. Farmingdale State's Damien Santana had 37 points against Otterbein in 2007.
Inside the Numbers
• Dempsey led the team in scoring with 33 points, and added four assists and four rebounds.
• Senior Devon Peart poured out 29 points, shooting 10-for-13 from the field.
• Senior Jalen Paige added 12 points, two assists, and two rebounds.
• Sophomore Tyler Bardall grabbed four rebounds and put up eight points.
• As a team, the Muskies went 36-for-71 (50.7%) from the field and 9-for-29 from the arc (31.0%).
• Six Wooster players knotted double-digit scoring.
• Dontae Williams led the Scots offense with 22 points, while Reece Dupler tallied 18 points, Danyon Hempy added 16, and Trenton Tipton had 14 points.
• Wooster made 58.6% of their shots (41-for-70), went 9-for-24 from the arc (37.5%), and ended the contest going 17-for-24 from the free-throw line (70.8%).
Game Highlights
The Scots used an early 9-0 run to gain a 16-5 lead with 14:10 left in the first half. Devon Peart came in off the bench and made a layup to end Wooster's run. At the 9:11 mark a three-pointer by Jalen Paige brought the Muskies within eight points, 28-20. Muskingum used this momentum to cut Wooster's lead down to 50-48 at the half.
In the second half, Wooster managed a 76-65 lead after a 12-4 run with 11:18 left to play. Tyler Bardall hit a three-pointer to slow down Wooster and keep Muskingum in the game. With 6:17 left, Danyon Hempy made a jump shot to put the Scots up 91-77. Marcus Dempsey finessed a layup with 3:02 remaining and sparked a 12-2 run for the Muskies. The Scots held a 95-91 lead with 1:29 to play. Hempy and Trey Miller added scores to keep the Muskies at bay. With three seconds to go, Keonin Scott made two foul-shots to secure a 108-100 victory.
Up Next
Muskingum next travels to the Mount St. Joseph Tournament to take on North Park on November 24. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.
