FRANKLIN, Ind. — Wabash College continued its blistering start to the season Wednesday night, turning a barrage of first-half scoring runs and a season-best performance from freshman guard Luke Ellspermann into a 92-74 road victory over Franklin College at the Spurlock Center. The win pushed the Little Giants to 3-0 for the first time since the 2022–23 campaign, with all three victories coming against Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) opponents.

Ellspermann delivered his strongest game yet, finishing with a season-high 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting while adding two assists and two rebounds. His early drives, timely perimeter shooting, and steady control of the pace helped Wabash seize momentum in the opening minutes and break the game open shortly after.
Senior guard Josh Whack also scored 18 points, including two second-half three-pointers and a handful of transition baskets that repeatedly halted Franklin's attempts to climb back into the game. Freshman forward Colton Stowers added 17 points and six rebounds, and freshman guard Deric Cannady chipped in 11 points, part of a bench unit that contributed 29 points.

Wabash led for more than 35 minutes and dictated the game's rhythm with pressure defense, 50.8% shooting from the field, and an aggressive rebounding effort that produced 14 second-chance points.

Franklin (3-1) opened with a brief 3-0 advantage, but Wabash answered immediately with an Ellspermann layup and a series of defensive stops that shifted the tone. The game swung sharply at the 15:46 mark, when Cannady buried a transition three-pointer to tie the score at 7-7. He followed with another triple and a driving layup, fueling a 22-7 Wabash surge.

During that stretch, the Little Giants forced five turnovers, ran the floor in transition, and relied on Whack's downhill speed and Stowers' perimeter shooting to create separation. A three-pointer by Stowers, followed by a string of defensive rebounds from senior post Gavin Schippert, pushed the lead to 26-10. Franklin, meanwhile, struggled to establish rhythm, missing several open looks and compounding mistakes with turnovers and fouls.

By the time Stowers added a tip-in and another three-pointer late in the half, Wabash had stretched the margin to 41-20, its biggest lead of the opening period. The Little Giants headed to halftime with a commanding 49-30 advantage after converting 13-of-16 free throws and holding the Grizzlies to just 1-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc.

Any hope of a Franklin comeback evaporated in the opening minutes of the second half. Ellspermann scored six points in less than two minutes — a pair of slicing layups followed by a transition three — jump-starting a 16-5 run that pushed the Wabash lead to 62-34.
Whack followed with back-to-back threes, and Schippert added an interior finish to extend the margin beyond 30. When Stowers cleaned up a missed shot with a putback at the 11:40 mark, Wabash reached its largest lead of the night at 76-42.

Franklin guard Justin Harrington poured in 24 points to lead the Grizzlies, and his late shooting helped trim the deficit slightly. But the Little Giants' blend of depth, rebounding, and pace kept the margin comfortably in double digits throughout the final 10 minutes.

Wabash's balance continued to stand out in the win. Schippert grabbed seven rebounds to lead a 39-28 advantage on the glass, while senior wing Rich Brooks added five points, three rebounds, and steady minutes defensively. Junior post Tyler Horton supplied energy off the bench with a pair of baskets and solid interior presence.

The victory marks the program's best start since opening the 2022–23 season with a 3-0 mark.

Wabash travels to St. Louis on Monday, Nov. 24, to play Washington University. The Bears are 3-0 and ranked fifth in the D3hoops.com preseason poll.