DANVILLE, Ky. — Seniors Josh Whack and Gavin Schippert each scored 20 points Tuesday afternoon as Wabash College pulled away in the second half to defeat Centre College 75-62 in a non-conference men's basketball game at Alumni Gymnasium, wrapping up the Lee's Famous Recipe Classic with a victory.
 
Wabash (8-3) outscored Centre 42-27 after halftime, using a series of timely scoring runs and efficient free-throw shooting to turn a two-point deficit at the break into its fourth consecutive win to close the 2025 portion of the schedule.
 
Whack, playing just his second game since returning from a calf injury that sidelined him for five contests, delivered a season-high 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting. He was a steady presence late, scoring eight points in the final 3:34 and converting 7 of 7 free throws down the stretch to seal the outcome.
 
Schippert matched Whack with 20 points, tying his career high originally set against DePauw last season. Schippert added seven rebounds and went 5 of 6 at the free-throw line, including a pair in the final 1:39 that pushed the margin to eight points.
 
Centre (7-3) held a 35-33 lead at halftime after a tightly contested opening 20 minutes that featured 11 ties and seven lead changes. The Colonels built their largest advantage at eight points midway through the first half, but Wabash stayed within striking distance behind inside scoring from Schippert and Whack and a late basket from Keegan Manowitz that trimmed the margin to two at the break.
 
The Little Giants took control early in the second half. After Centre briefly extended its lead to four, Wabash responded with a 7-2 run to regain the advantage. Luke Ellspermann sparked the surge with a three-pointer, and Whack followed with a driving layup to give Wabash a 38-37 edge at the 15:06 mark.
 
Centre countered to tie the game at 47-47 on a three-pointer from Nolan Wahl with 9:52 remaining, but Wabash answered decisively. Nate Matelic knocked down a three-pointer to ignite a 10-3 run that put the Little Giants ahead 57-50 with 6:11 to play. Matelic finished with 15 points off the bench, while Ellspermann added 12 points and five rebounds.
 
Wabash extended the margin to double figures in the final minute. After Centre cut the deficit to six, Whack scored on a step-back jumper and then calmly converted four consecutive free throws in the final 29 seconds. The Little Giants' largest lead came at the horn, completing an 8-0 closing run.
 
The Little Giants shot 47.3 percent from the field for the game and dominated the paint with a 38-14 scoring edge inside. Wabash also converted 20 of 23 free throws, including 18 of 20 in the second half. Centre shot 31.1 percent overall and 26.5 percent from three-point range. Centre was led by Nolan Wahl with 15 points. Drake Ingram added 11 points, while Garrison Hildebrant finished with eight points and a team-high four rebounds for the Colonels.
 
With the victory, Wabash completed a 4-0 stretch to close the calendar year. The Little Giants open the 2026 portion of the schedule with a home contest against Trine University on Saturday, January 3, at 2 p.m.