CRAWFORDSVILLE, IN – Wabash shot 50 percent from the field and nearly doubled Mount Saint Joseph's offensive output in the second half to earn an 87-59 victory in the Little Giants' home opener at Chadwick Court.
Wabash (1-2) never trailed in the contest, jumping in front by as many as nine points in the first six minutes of the game. Mount Saint Joseph (2-1) trimmed the advantage to three points at 20-17 with 8:39 remaining in the opening period before the Little Giants 16-3 scoring run over the next five minutes to move in front 36-20. The visiting Lions scored the final ten points of the half to cut the Wabash advantage to 38-32 at the break.
The Little Giants turned up the home-court advantage in the second half, making 19-of-34 attempts from the field for 55.9 percent shooting in the period. Wabash connected on 4-of-10 three-point tries in the second half and finished the game shooting 47.1 percent from long range with an 8 of 17 effort.
Wabash used its strong shooting to take a 21-point lead midway through the period, increasing the advantage to as many as 31 points at 87-56 in the final two minutes of the contest.
Vinny Buccilla paced the Wabash offensive attack with a game-high 18 points.
Josh Whack scored a career-best 15 points, shooting 5-of-8 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
Nate Matelic came off the bench to tally 15 points.
Rich Brooks tossed in 11 points.
Wabash got a 36-point showing from the bench in the victory. The Little Giants outscored Mount Saint Joseph 46 to 30 in the pain and scored 25 points on 13 MSJ turnovers. Wabash committed only four turnovers in the contest.
The Little Giants pulled down 39 rebounds in Thursday's game compared to Mount Saint Joseph's 35, led by
Noah Hupmann's eight boards.
Wabash's defense held Mount Saint Joseph to only 35.5 percent shooting from the field, including 20.7 percent from beyond the arc. Matthew Menninger led the Lions with 17 points, and Luke Collinsworth scored 13 points and grabbed a team-best nine rebounds. Elisha Jones scored 10 points for the Lions.
Wabash returns to Chadwick Court to face in-state rival Franklin College on Friday, November 22, at 7 p.m.
Game Notes
» The Little Giants shot well from three-point range, knocking down 8 of 17 long-range attempts.
» The Little Giants held the Lions to only 35.5 percent shooting from the field.
» Wabash never trailed on the way to an 87-59 victory.
» The Wabash bench made an impact by scoring 36 points to its scoring output.
» Wabash had a 39-35 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Wabash defense forced 13 turnovers.
» The Little Giants were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording six blocks as a team.
» Wabash turned the ball over four times while dishing out eight assists.
