Junior guard Henry Hinkle and junior wing David Rice scored 5 points apiece during a 10-0 run that put Ohio Wesleyan ahead to stay in a 67-58 non-conference win over Albion in the Bishops’ home opener on Wednesday at Branch Rickey Arena.
Albion had taken a 5-2 lead on a 3-point play by Zak Krueger and a lay-in from Jaylen Flaniken in the first 90 seconds of action.
Hinkle evened the score with a 3-pointer before Rice knocked down a 3-pointer to put the Bishops ahead for good. Hinkle followed with a jumper from the lane and Rice put an exclamation point on the rally with a steal-and-dunk that made it a 12-5 game at the 15:17 mark of the opening half.
The Britons closed to within 12-9 after a pair of free throws from Flaniken and a lay-in by Nathan Steinman, but Ohio Wesleyan extended the lead to double digits on a 3-pointer by senior post Tony Carter with 8:52 remaining.
Ohio Wesleyan would lead by as many as 13 during the first half and took an 8-point lead into the locker room, and the Bishops stretched the margin to 17 points on a 3-pointer by sophomore wing Jessee Battle with 11:26 to go.
It was still a double-digit Ohio Wesleyan lead after a Hinkle lay-in made it 60-49 with 4:34 left, but Albion rallied with a lay-in by Kameron Mayes and a putback by Beck Willems before a free throw by Mayes made it a 2-possession game at 60-54 with 1:49 left. Sophomore wing Isaac Ward answered with a 3-pointer on the Bishops’ next possession, and free throws by Hinkle and Ward sealed the outcome.
Hinkle led the Bishops with 22 points, while Rice and Battle finished with 11 apiece. Rice and Carter shared the team lead with 6 boards each, and Carter had a team-high 3 assists.
OWU Sports Information contributed to this report.
