CRAWFORDSVILLE, IN – Wabash raced out to a 9-0 lead Tuesday evening and never looked back in its 91-71 victory over Hiram College in the quarterfinal round of the 2023 North Coast Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament.
 
Freshman Gavin Schippert starred in his first NCAC Tournament appearance by scoring a season-best 19 points to pace the Wabash offense. He also grabbed eight rebounds. Schippert was one of four Wabash players to score in double figures. Sam Comer tallied 18 points, gave out three assists, and grabbed seven rebounds. Avery Beaver came off the bench to score 16 points. Ahmoni Jones chipped in with 14 points and a team-high nine boards.
 
Wabash (19-7), the number two seed in the tournament, out-rebounded Hiram (10-15) 46-32 and turned 13 offensive rebounds into 12 second-chance points.
 
The victory sends Wabash to Wooster for Friday evening's semifinal contest against arch-rival DePauw University at 5:30 p.m. The sixth-seeded Tigers defeated Ohio Wesleyan 78-69 in Delaware, Ohio. Top-seeded Wooster will face Denison University in the second semifinal game at 7:30 p.m.
 
How It Happened
After jumping out to a 9-2 advantage, Wabash went on a 9-0 run with 16:49 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Jones, to increase its lead to 18-2. Hiram rode a 6-0 scoring run with 6:32 left in the opening period to cut the Little Giants' lead to 11 at 32-21. The Terriers whittled the lead down to eight points twice in the closing three minutes of the half, but a three-pointer from Schippert put Wabash back in front by 11. Hiram added another basket to end the half with Wabash in front 45-36.
 
Wabash opened the second half much like the first, pushing its lead to 17 points thanks to a 12-4 run in the first three-and-a-half minutes. Oberlin never got closer than 13 points in the final 20 minutes of action. Wabash got a boost from its bench in the second period, as non-starters accounted for 20 of its 46 total points to outscore the Terriers 46-35 in the half.
 
 
Game Notes
» Wabash shot an impressive 49.2 percent from the field (30-of-61) and hit 8-of-23 three-point tries (34.8 percent. The Little Giants connected on 23-of-29 free throw attempts
» Hiram finished 30-of-72 from the field (41.7 percent) and 5-of-22 from three-point range (22.7 percent). The Terriers hit just six of their 12 free throw chances.
» Vinny Buccilla finished with nine points and tied Comer with three assists.
» The Little Giants improved to 14-9 in NCAC Tournament quarterfinal games and pushed their winning streak against Hiram to 12 games
» Wabash entered the game ranked 29^th among Division III teams in free throws attempted with an average of 22 a game.
» Noah Adams came off the Hiram bench to lead the Terriers in scoring with 18 points. Brodgie Gordon finished his Hiram career with a 17-point effort.
 
This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.