ANGOLA, IN -- Wabash rallied from a 20-point second-half deficit against Heidelberg in the opening game of the 2024 Steve Green Classic hosted by Trine University. The Little Giants closed the gap to three points with 30 seconds remaining but could not get over the top in an 82-78 loss to the Student Princes to begin the 2024-2025 men's basketball season.
 
Wabash (0-1) had three players score in double figures, led by Nate Matelic, who had 16 points. Gavin Schippert added 13 points, and freshman Robert Sorensen helped with 12 points and six rebounds off the bench in his first collegiate game.
 
The Little Giants took a 16-7 lead in the first seven minutes of the game on a Sorensen three-point basket. Wabash maintained its advantage through the midway portion of the first half until Heidelberg (1-0) began to mount its attack. The Student Princes rode a 16-0 run to take a 31-23 lead with 4:22 remaining in the period. Wabash narrowed the gap to two points on Sorensen's back-to-back baskets and Randy Kelley's free throws before Heidelberg scored the final basket of the period for a 38-34 halftime edge.
 
The Student Princes held the advantage throughout the second half, eventually taking a 75-55 with 6:17 left in the game. That's when the Wabash offense caught fire. Sorensen started a 19-2 run with one of his two three-point baskets. Matelic tallied six of his 16 points in 22 seconds to bring the Little Giants to within six points at 77-71 with 1:12 remaining. Schippert scored on a put-back three-pointer to make it a three-point game at 77-74 with 32 seconds on the clock.
 
Heidelberg connected on five of six free throws down the stretch to answer a fast-break layup by Schippert and a Matelic jumper to trim the lead to 80-78 with 12 seconds remaining. The final two free throws sealed the win for Heidelberg.
 
Wabash struggled from the field in the first half, hitting 10 of 27 shots from the field (37 percent) and 6 of 16 three-point tries (37.5 percent). The Little Giants picked up the offense in the second half by shooting 51.5 percent from the field (17-of-33), including a 5-for-12 effort from three-point range (41.7 percent). The Wabash bench outscored Heidelberg 37-24 and owned a 30-22 scoring advantage in the paint.
 
Sorensen and Noah Hupmann each snared six rebounds to lead Wabash. The Little Giants grabbed 36 boards compared to 38 for Heidelberg. Hupmann also recorded four blocked shots.
 
Markell Johnson-Nichols paced the Student Princes with 18 points. Zane Leitwein added 17 points. Elijah Harden scored 14 points, and Manny Hill finished with 10 points. Eric Panning grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds.
 
Wabash faces the 2024 NCAA Division III men's basketball champion Trine squad on Saturday in the final game of the Classic at 3 p.m. The Thunder defeated Mary Hardin-Baylor 98-70 in Friday's second game.
 
Game Notes
» Wabash knocked down 11 three-pointers in the game.
» Wabash tallied 15 total assists in the game. Josh Whack, Vinny Buccilla, and Kelley each had four assists.
» Nate Matelic and Robert Sorensen came off the bench to score 16 and 12 points, respectively.
» The Wabash defense forced 13 turnovers.
» The Little Giants tallied six blocks as a team.
» Wabash cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 11 offensive boards leading to 14 second-chance points.
» Wabash got six rebounds from both Noah Hupmann and Robert Sorensen.