Box Score Freshman
Ross Sponsler drilled six three-pointers, including three in the final two minutes Friday night to erase a 20-point Hiram deficit. The Terriers held on down the stretch to pull out a 69-61 victory over Wabash in North Coast Athletic Conference action.
Sponsler finished with a career-best 29 points, hitting 10-of-21 shots from the field. He tallied 19 points in the final half, but was unable to lift the Little Giants to the victory.
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The two teams traded six leads and shared three ties before Hiram took a 22-20 lead with 6:48 remaining in the first half on a layup by Aaron Stefanov. That sparked an 11-6 scoring run for the Terriers, leading to a 33-26 advantage.
Hiram (7-5, 1-2 NCAC) continued its scoring streak to open the second half, holding the Little Giants without a point for the first five minute of the final period while pushing the lead to 46-26.
Daniel Purvlicis ended the drought with a jumper for two of his 10 points.
Sponsler began to pour in the points with a trey to cut the lead to 15.
Andy Walsh added another three-pointer and a pair of free throws to answer another Hiram run. Sponsler scored the next five points for Wabash, then
Jordan Surenkamp tossed in a jumper at 5:30 to make it a 58-48 contest.
Walsh and Sponsler kept firing from long range, trimming the Hiram advantage before the freshman nailed a triple from just inside the halfcourt line with 1:52 left in the contest to draw Wabash to within five points. The Terriers responded with a series of free throws down the stretch after the Little Giants were forced to foul to stop the clock, leading to the eight-point margin of victory.
Sponsler handed out a season-high five assists along with his 29-point effort. Surenkamp recorded a team-best six rebounds to go with seven points. Walsh tossed in eight points.
Three Terriers finished in double figures in scoring, led by Chris Zurowski with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Aaron Stefanov chipped in 15 points, while Alan Sheppard added 13.
Wabash (3-9, 1-2 NCAC) has only a few hours to shake off the loss. The Little Giants play host to Allegheny College Saturday at 3 p.m. The Gators defeated DePauw 69-67 in overtime in Greencastle Friday evening.
