Box Score Wabash shot 29 percent from the field, hitting only 3-of-14 three-point tries in a 97-56 road loss at the College of Wooster Saturday afternoon. The loss was the first for the Little Giants in North Coast Athletic Conference play.
The Little Giants stayed close in the first three minutes of the contest, but Wooster outscored Wabash 45-19 through the remainder of the first half to take a 52-25 lead. The Scots held Wabash scoreless for seven minutes in the opening period before two technical free throws by
Jordan Surenkamp ended the drought.
Wooster (6-1, 3-0 NCAC) outscored the Little Giants 45-31 in the final period.
Wabash stayed even on in rebounding, 43-43, grabbing 21 offensive boards but were only able to convert those second chance opportunities into 15 points. Turnovers also plagued the Little Giants, committing 17 compared to just five by Wooster. The Scots scored 27 points off Wabash turnovers.
Pete Nicksic and
Daniel Purvlicis each scored 13 points to pace Wabash offensively. Nicksic and
Kasey Oetting each had eight rebounds.
Evan Johnson added a career-high 11 points off the bench for the Little Giants.
Wooster's Xavier Brown played a nearly perfect game, shooting 13-of-17 from the field with a 5-for-5 effort from beyond the three-point arc. He hit all four free throw attempts to finish with 35 points. Reserve guard Doug Thorpe added 11 points for the 16th-ranked Scots.
Wabash (2-5, 1-1 NCAC) will take the next week off for final exams. The Little Giants return to action on Monday, December 17 with a home contest against in-state rival Hanover.
