CLEVELAND, OH – No. 3 Wooster and No. 4 Ohio Wesleyan claimed victories in the quarterfinal round of the 2025 NCAC Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Fighting Scots defeated No 6 Oberlin 97-80, while the Battling Bishops bested No. 5 DePauw 74-71.
 
Wooster and Ohio Wesleyan will advance to the semifinal round on Friday, February 28, at Denison University. The Fighting Scots will take on No. 2 seeded Wabash at 5:00 p.m., while the Battling Bishops will face top seeded Denison at 7:30 p.m. The gym will be cleared between the first and second game and separate tickets will be required for each semifinal game.
 
The semifinal winners will square off for the 2025 NCAC tournament title on Saturday, March 1, at 4:00 p.m. in Granville, Ohio.
 
#3 WOOSTER (20-6) 97, #6 OBERLIN (13-13) 80

• No. 3 Wooster jumped out to an early 11-0 lead over No. 6 Oberlin in the 2025 NCAC Men’s Basketball Tournament quarterfinal matchup, with senior post Nick Evertt (Salem, OH/West Branch) contributing eight of the Fighting Scots' first 11 points. After a 3:27 scoreless stretch for the Yeomen, sophomore guard JJ Gray (Huntington Beach, CA/Fountain Valley) sank a jumper to put Oberlin on the board.
• Wooster maintained control throughout the first half, shooting 22-of-36 from the field (61.1 percent), 7-of-13 from beyond the arc (53.8 percent), and 4-of-6 from the free-throw line (66.7 percent). Heading into the break, Wooster led Oberlin 57-27.
• In the second half, Wooster continued to build on its advantage with strong offense and defense. Junior guard Jaiden Cox-Holloway (Cleveland, OH/Richmond Heights) opened the period with a three-pointer, followed by two free throws from Evertt and a jumper from junior guard Isaac Roeder (Monroeville, OH/Monroeville) to keep the offensive momentum going. The Scots finished the half with a solid 47.46 shooting percentage, maintaining their efficient play throughout.
• In the win, the Fighting Scots were fueled by 46 bench points and 44 points in the paint, while the Yeomen tallied 33 bench points and 30 points in the key. Wooster also outperformed Oberlin in points off turnovers (21), assists (23), blocks (5), and second-chance points (17).
• Wooster finished the game with five players in double-digit scoring, led by Everett with 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting, seven rebounds, one assist, and four steals. Senior guard Ashton Price (Bay Village, OH/Bay) added 17 points, shooting 6-of-10, with three rebounds, five assists, and one steal, while Roeder scored 12 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting, contributing four rebounds and one assist. Junior forward EJ Kapihe (Kaneohe, HI/Kamehameha Schools) finished with 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting, adding two rebounds and one assist, and Cox-Holloway rounded out the group with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, along with four rebounds, one assist, and two steals.
• Oberlin was led by senior guard Yuuki Okubo (Los Angeles, CA/Crossroads) with 17 points, shooting 5-of-17 from the field and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line, along with two rebounds, six assists, and three fouls. Fellow classmate Andrew Gannon (Pittsburgh, PA/Avonworth) added 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including 1-of-3 from beyond the arc, to go along with six rebounds, one assist, and one foul.
• With the win, Wooster extended its league-leading winning percentage in the NCAC Tournament to .788 (82-22) and looks to advance into the tournament final for the 31st time in program history.

 
#4 OHIO WESLEYAN (15-11) 74, #5 DEPAUW (13-13) 71

• During the first half, DePauw took an early 8-2 lead after back-to-back three pointers from sophomore guard Joe Smith (Mishawaka, IN/Penn), but Ohio Wesleyan quickly responded with two triples of its own, evening the score at eight.
• The Battling Bishops and Tigers battled for the lead until senior guard Henry Hinkle (Powell, OH/Olentangy Liberty) sank three free-throws to give OWU a 32-30 advantage at halftime.
• After the break, the Bishops maintained control throughout the second half, despite a late push by DePauw. OWU led by as many as 13 points, with Hinkle leading the way offensively. The Tigers attempted to rally in the final minutes, fueled by key plays from sophomore forwards Reph Stevenson (Fishers, IN/Hamilton Southeastern) and Caleb Washington (New Albany, IN/Floyd Central), but crucial free throws and defensive rebounds by the Battling Bishops sealed the 74-71 victory.
• OWU had three players reach double-digit scoring, including Hinkle, who scored 28 points on 64.3 percent shooting from the field, along with three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Junior guard Isaac Ward (Circleville, OH/Logan Elm) finished with 14 points, two assists, and two steals, while senior post Phil Wallace (Akron, OH/Norton) added 11 points on 66.7 percent shooting and contributed five rebounds and two assists.
• DePauw also had three players score in double figures, led by Stevenson with 20 points and 17 rebounds on 66.7 percent shooting. Washington added 18 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, while Smith finished with 11 points, including three three-pointers at a 50 percent clip.
• The Tigers dominated down low, out-rebounding the Bishops 43-25, scoring 36 points in the paint to the OWU’s 28, and grabbing seven second-chance points compared to just two for Ohio Wesleyan. However, the Bishops had the shooting advantage, finishing with 48.1 percent from the field, 39.3 percent from three, and 73.3 percent from the free-throw line, while DePauw shot 46.6 percent from the field, 31.6 percent from beyond the arc, and 44.0 percent from the line.
• Ohio Wesleyan heads into the semifinal round for the first time since 2018 and will look to advance into the tournament final for the 11th time in program history.