Wabash shot 61 percent from the field and drilled 15 of 26 three-point shots in Saturday's North Coast Athletic Conference showdown against the College of Wooster. The Little Giants got a career-high 27 points from Avery Beaver and 23 points from Vinny Buccilla in a 91-81 victory to claim the 2023-2024 NCAC Men's Basketball regular season championship and the number-one seed entering next week's conference tournament.

The regular season title is the second in three years for Wabash (17-8, 13-3 NCAC). The Little Giants won their first NCAC crown in 2021-22 for the first time since joining the conference.

Wabash needed its hot outside shooting to combat a dominating inside game by Wooster (16-9, 12-4). The visiting Scots got 17 points from Nick Everett and 15 from EJ Kapihe to help Wooster to 54 points in the paint. While Wooster scored inside, Wabash nailed long-range shots repeatedly, sparked by Beaver and Buccilla. The duo combined to make 12 of 16 three-point shots in the contest. At one point, Wabash had connected on 71 percent of its shots from the field before cooling slightly to 61.7 percent on 29 of 47 shootings, with only 26 of the Little Giants' 91 points coming in the paint. Wooster could not match the hot outside game by Wabash. The Scots connected on only 6 of 17 three-point tries.

Wooster's inside game provided a 9-2 lead just over three minutes into the contest. The Scots held a lead as large as eight points at 18-10 with 11:42 left in the opening period when Wabash began a scoring run. Nate Matelic scored on a driving layup from the left side of the basket, and Beaver followed with his first three-pointer of the ball game to cut the Wooster advantage to three points. Buccilla connected on a three the next trip down the floor to tie the score at 18-18 midway through the period.

The Little Giants took a six-point lead off three-pointers by Beaver and Buccilla at 26-20 at the 7:49 mark, but Wooster cut it back to a two-point game on a fast-break basket after a Wabash turnover. The Scots forced Wabash into an uncharacteristic 15 turnovers for the contest and scored 18 points off Little Giant miscues.

Wabash stretched its lead to seven points before Wooster tied the score at 31-31. The teams traded baskets until a three-pointer by Ahmoni Jones gave the Little Giants a 38-35 lead with one minute left in the half until the Scots answered to make it a 38-37 contest in favor of Wabash at the break.

Wooster got off to a strong start once again in the final period, taking a five-point lead three minutes into the second half. Wabash regained the lead on a Beaver triple, then answered a basket in the lane with a three-pointer from Edreece Redmond to give Wabash a 52-50 edge. Redmond provided an offensive spark for Wabash, starting on Senior Day as the Little Giants honored Redmond, Beaver, Jones, Sam Comer, and Champ McCorkle before the opening tip. Redmond scored seven points in 16 minutes of court time. He finished 2 of 4 from the field, including a 1-for-2 effort from three-point range and two free throws.

Wabash used baskets by Comer and Redmond, along with another three from Beaver, to take an eight-point lead at 62-54 at the 12:14 mark. Wooster got as close as three points before the Little Giants rode a 15-5 scoring run over the next four minutes to a 77-64 lead. Wabash maintained the double-digit for the rest of the contest, holding a 16-point advantage with 28 seconds remaining before a pair of Wooster three-pointers created the ten-point final scoring difference.

Beaver and Buccilla combined for 50 of Wabash's 91 points. Comer scored 15 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds to help Wabash own a 30-25 advantage on the glass. Jones scored seven points, and Noah Hupmann added six points.

Ashton Price joined Everett and Kapihe in double-figure scoring for Wooster, finishing with a team-best 18 points.

Wabash faces Kenyon College in the quarterfinal round of the 2024 NCAC Men's Basketball Tournament on Tuesday evening at Chadwick Court. Tickets for the game are $7 for adults and $5 for children 18 years of age and under. Wabash students or students of any NCAC school will be admitted free with a valid student ID. Game time will be officially announced later this weekend.