HIRAM, OH – Wabash held Hiram 16 points below its season scoring average and led from start to finish in an 83-67 road victory in North Coast Athletic Conference action Wednesday evening.
 
Wabash (12-3, 5-1 NCAC) jumped out to a 9-0 lead and never looked back, maintaining a double-digit lead for most of the ball game. Hiram (8-7, 3-4 NCAC) entered the contest averaging 83 points a game but scored only 67 points in the loss, including 26 points in the opening half, against the Little Giant defense. Wabash limited the host Terriers to 3-of-15 shooting from three-point range (20 percent) and 24-of-57 from the field overall (42.1 percent). Wabash maintained its good shooting effort from its last two wins, connecting on 24-of-49 shots from the field (49 percent) and 12-of-27 three-point tries (44.4 percent).

Ahmoni Jones scored 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Vinny Buccilla added 22 points in the victory. Avery Beaver came off the bench to tally 12 points. Sam Comer dished out a career-best ten assists on the Little Giants' 24 made baskets. Wabash finished with 17 assists in the game.

Wabash out-rebounded Hiram 33-25 in Wednesday's game, paced by ten boards from Champ McCorkle. The Terriers did not have much luck cleaning up their misses on the offensive glass either, as they finished with seven offensive rebounds and managed eight second-chance points while Wabash cleared 27 defensive rebounds. The Little Giants scooped up six offensive boards, leading to 11 second-chance points.

How It Happened
Wabash took an early 9-0 lead in the game's first 3-1/2 minutes. The Little Giants pushed the advantage to 11 points at 15-4 at the 14:31 mark on a three-pointer by Buccilla and held a double-digit edge throughout the half. Wabash went on a 9-0 run with 7:10 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Redmond, to increase its lead to 40-20. The Little Giants held a 42-26 halftime advantage, relying on three-point shooting in the opening period. Wabash knocked down nine shots for 27 of its 42 first-half points.

The Little Giants kept the lead intact before going on a 7-0 run to grow the lead to 79-63 with 1:54 to go in the final period. The Little Giants held onto that lead for the rest of the game despite Hiram closing to within nine points at 72-63 with 4:35 left to play. Jones responded to the Terriers' rally by scoring five straight points over the next two minutes to put the Little Giants up 77-63 before holding on for the 83-67 win. Wabash got a boost from its bench in the second half, as non-starters accounted for 11 of its 41 total points.

Game Notes
» Wabash never trailed on the way to an 83-67 victory, leading for 39:03 of the 40-minute contest.
» The Little Giants put on a passing clinic, recording an assist on 71 percent of made baskets.
» Trent Jakacki led Hiram in scoring with 18 points. Dushawn Hill scored 14 points, and Kevin Beans, Jr. added ten points.
» Wabash had a 33-25 edge on the boards in the win. Champ McCorkle snared a team-high ten rebounds for Wabash. Beans, Jr. grabbed a team-best nine rebounds for Hiram.
» The Wabash defense forced 13 turnovers. Buccilla recorded a team-best three steals for the Little Giants.

This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.