Wabash wins  North Coast Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament for the third consecutive season and earns a trip to the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament. The three tournament titles in 2022, 2023, and 2024 go with regular season conference championships in 2021-22 and 2023-24.
 
Ahmoni Jones paced Wabash (20-8) with 22 points to earn the Al Van Wie Award as the tournament Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive year. Noah Hupmann joined Jones on the All-Tournament team after breaking the NCAC Tournament record for blocked shots with 16 in three games. The junior post player recorded five blocks to go with 11 rebounds and seven points in the victory.
 
Wabash needed overtime to earn its first NCAC Tournament title in 2022 for an 85-84 win at Chadwick Court. Last year, the Little Giants got a late basket from Jones and survived a last-second attempt by Wooster in an 81-80 victory.
 
This year's game would need no last-minute heroics.
 
Wabash used a three-point barrage for the second week in a row to defeat Wooster (18-10). The Little Giants connected on 14 of 24 three-point shots for 58.3 percent after shooting 57 percent from three-point range by going 15 of 26 in last Saturday's 91-81 victory over the Scots to claim the NCAC regular season title and home-court advantage throughout the tournament as the number one seed.
 
Neither team could extend a lead beyond three points in the first half until a three-pointer from Jones with 5:06 left in the opening period gave Wabash a 27-23 lead. Avery Beaver added a long-range basket for three of his 15 points to push the lead to seven points. Wooster (18-10) rallied with a 7-2 run to trim the lead to 32-30 before moving in front on a triple from Jaiden Cox-Holloway. Beaver answered with a two-point jumper, followed by another Jones three-pointer with one minute remaining in the half. JJ Cline made it a 37-35 Wabash advantage at the break after getting a layup for the Scots in the final minute of the half.
 
Both teams traded opening baskets of the second half until Jones added another triple to put Wabash up 45-42. The senior forward scored 18 of his 22 points from beyond the arc, connecting on six out of eight three-point tries. Vinny Buccilla pushed the lead to five points with a driving layup off a Wooster turnover for a 47-42 lead. The Little Giants scored 17 points off 15 Wooster turnovers for the game.
 
The Wabash lead hovered around a five-point margin with eight minutes left to play. Jones pushed the score to 54-46 with another three-pointer, but Wooster clawed back to within four points midway through the final period. Gavin Schippert added one of his two three-point baskets for a seven-point lead.
 
While Wabash lit up the basket from long range, Wooster could not buy a three-point hoop in the second half. The Scots shot just 2 of 14 from long range in the second half after hitting 5 of 10 from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes.
 
The Little Giants held a six-point lead with 6:18 remaining when Schippert drilled another triple, and Buccilla pushed the lead to double digits with a driving layup. The Wabash lead stayed at double figures until an Ashton Price three-pointer with 1:40 remaining made it a 71-64 contest. Beaver and Hupmann closed out the final minutes by combining for four made free throws for the 75-64 final.
 
Buccilla scored 16 points and three assists for Wabash to go with the 22-point effort from Jones. Beaver added 15 points.
 
Cox-Holloway paced Wooster with a 16-point effort. Jamir Billings scored 12 points and dished out seven assists. Nick Everett scored 10 points before leaving the game with five fouls.
 
Wabash will await the official NCAA announcement on Monday at 1 p.m. to learn its opponent and the location of the opening weekend of the DIII Tournament.