HIRAM, Ohio — Kevin Beans Jr. only scored nine points Friday night.
Thankfully, he had the only two that really mattered.
The junior from Daytona Beach, Florida, drained a jump shot from the shoulder to give Hiram a stunning 83-81 upset over Wooster. The two North Coast Athletic Conference rivals went back and forth all evening long, with each squandering double-digit leads at one point.
Early on, it was heavily favored Wooster (13-5, 9-2 NCAC) which raced out to a 16-5 advantage. Wellington High School grad Elijah Meredith led the Fighting Scots with 26 points and Lorain's Jamir Billings added 22, but Hiram was able to buckle down and fight back to tie the game at intermission.
In the second half, the Terriers (7-10, 4-7) came out swinging, going ahead 69-59 with 10:22 left to play. Brodgie Gordon and Medina native Doug Sartain each lead the team with 17 points apiece.
Wooster's offense had gone cold, but suddenly caught fire when it counted, tying the game up at 79 with 1:25 to go. 30 seconds, Gordon hit a fast break layup to put Hiram back on top by two, but Shaker Heights' Najee Hardaway tied it again with his own lay-in.
It truly seemed to be a battle of "Whoever gets the ball last will win," and that's exactly what happened as Beans played the unlikely role of hero as time expired. The Terriers not only knocked off the No. 1 team in the NCAC, but won for the third time in four games.
Now second in the conference, Wooster will head to first-place Wabash at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Hiram will host DePauw roughly two hours later.
