Wabash used the three-point basket to hold a lead throughout most of the first half against Denison University Saturday afternoon. The 19^th-ranked Big Red used a scoring run midway in the second to claim a 76-65 win to close out the regular season for the Little Giants.
 
Wabash hit 8-of 14 three-point shots in the first half for 57.1 percent, allowing the visiting Little Giants to lead by as seven points in the opening period. Ben Stachowski and Duncan Roy provided the damage from the outside. Stachowski shot 4-5 from the field, all from three-point range, to tally 12 of the Little Giants' 32 points in the opening period. Roy hit two triples for six first-half points. Wabash also drove the ball inside, getting six points in the first period from Logan White.
 
The Little Giants' lead might have been more if not for the effort of Big Red senior Matt Doyle. Doyle on all four of his shot in the first half, including a pair of three-points, to keep Denison (21-4, 15-3 NCAC) close enough to eventually take a two-point lead at halftime, 34-32. The senior hit eight consecutive shots in the game before finishing 8-11 from the field overall, scoring 21 points to lead the Big Red.
 
Wabash cooled down from long range in the second half, shooting 3-of-13 to finish 11-of-27 for the game (40.7 percent). Denison eventually expanded its halftime lead to nine points, but the Little Giants rallied to trim the advantage to 49-46 with 11:20 remaining in the game.
 
That's when the Big Red made their final big run. Denison's 7-0 run pushed the lead to double digits. The Big Red expanded the advantage to 13 points when Wabash made its own scoring run. Colten Garland scored a basket and two free throws as part of a 10-2 scoring run for the Little Giants to trim the advantage to five points on an Alex Eberhard basket with 5:19 left in the game. Denison took over again in the back-and-forth contest, moving in front by 13 once again at 73-60 with 2:59 remaining. CJ McMann got the game down to single digits again with a five-point Wabash swing over the span of three seconds with two free throws on an intention foul by the Big Red followed by a three-pointer on the inbound play. But the final two baskets belonged to Denison to provide the 76-65 final score.
 
Wabash put four players in double-digits. Stachowski led the Little Giants with 18 points. McMann finished with a career-high 13 points. Garland and Roy each added 11 points.
 
The loss, combined with wins by Hiram and DePauw, drop the Little Giants to the seventh seed in the upcoming North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament. Wabash (11-14, 7-11 NCAC) will travel to the College of Wooster for the first-round game on Tuesday, February 21 at 7:00 p.m.