An early offensive show turned into a defensive battle in the third period in Tuesday's lacrosse match between Wabash College and Southwestern University. The Little Giants' three-game winning streak came to an end in a 12-8 loss to the team from Texas.
 
Southwestern (6-5) took an early lead with goals in the fourth and sixth minutes of the match. Tucker Dixon put Wabash on the scoreboard with a rush of the net and shot for his fifth goal of the year. The Pirates scored twice more to take a 4-1 lead before Scott Purucker took a restart after a faceoff violation and launched his third goal of the season into the back of the net.
 
Billy Bernhardt drew Wabash to within one goal as he logged his tenth goal this season in the 12^th minute to make it a 4-3 contest. Southwestern scored a late goal in the first period to push the lead to 5-3 after one.
 
Neither team scored in the second period until the Pirates struck in the 11^th minute with a goal for a 6-3 lead. Steven Stark answered 13 seconds later with his team-leading 21^st goal of the season. Southwestern scored twice to move back in front 8-4 until Spencer Sikes connected on his sixth goal of the season with less than a minute remaining an 8-5 halftime deficit.
 
After both teams combined for 13 goals in the first half, the defenses settled into play in the second. The Pirates produced the only goal of the third period to take a 9-5 lead before both teams added three goals apiece in the final 15 minutes.
 
Sikes opened the fourth period with his second goal of the game to cut the lead to three, but Southwestern tallied two more to move back in front 11-6. Collin Brennan answered with goals at 9:55 and 11:54, but the Pirates scored the final point of the contest with 48 seconds remaining to take the victory.
 
Wabash fired a total of 29 shots compared to 35 for the Pirates. The Little Giants won the faceoff battled 14-10. Southwestern converted one of its three extra-man opportunities while Wabash went 0-4. Samuel Stewart came up with 10 saves in goal for Wabash.
 
The Little Giants (3-3) open North Coast Athletic Conference action Saturday at home against the College of Wooster at 1 p.m.