GAMBIER, Ohio — Luke Ellspermann poured in 27 points and Wabash College built a 20-point first-half cushion before withstanding a late charge to secure a 75-70 North Coast Athletic Conference road victory over Kenyon College on Saturday afternoon at Tomsich Arena.
 
The Little Giants (12-4, 6-1 NCAC) won their fourth straight game and remained alone at the top of the league standings after an 89-75 loss by Denison at John Carroll. Wabash  leaned on a fast start, timely baskets during Kenyon runs, and enough late free throws to offset a difficult afternoon at the stripe.
 
Wabash seized control early with a decisive 10-0 run midway through the first half. Colton Stowers ignited the surge with back-to-back three-pointers, including a transition triple off a turnover, while Ellspermann added two paint finishes and Keegan Manowitz converted a layup following a steal to push the lead to 33-13 with 4:09 remaining in the half. The Little Giants closed the period up 36-20 after holding Kenyon to 29.6 percent shooting.
 
Kenyon (8-8, 2-5 NCAC) responded after halftime, opening the second half on a 9-3 burst fueled by perimeter shooting and bench production. Will McDonald and Bence Lendvay each knocked down threes during the stretch, trimming the margin to 40-31. Wabash answered with a quick counterpunch as Arlondo Hall buried a three from the left wing off a turnover and Ellspermann scored on a drive to restore a double-digit lead.
 
The Owls refused to fade, using a balanced 9-0 run midway through the second half to pull within 57-48. Jackson Burke scored in transition, Lendvay added a three, and Jack Corrigan Conaty finished a fast-break layup to keep Kenyon in the game. Each time, Wabash responded behind Ellspermann, who scored nine points over a four-minute span, including two layups off turnovers and a pair of free throws.
 
Free-throw shooting, however, kept Kenyon within striking distance. Wabash finished just 20-of-32 at the line, missing multiple front-end attempts in the final five minutes. Those misses allowed the Owls to close within 63-59 on consecutive baskets by Marius Mazeika in the paint.
 
Ellspermann steadied the Little Giants down the stretch, converting 6-of-7 free throws in the final 1:54, while Rich Brooks drilled a corner three with 1:19 remaining to extend the lead to 70-62. Kenyon's final push included late threes from Burke and Nicholas Graves, but Ellspermann sealed the win with two more free throws in the final 11 seconds.
 
Ellspermann, the reigning NCAC Men's Basketball Athlete of the Week, finished one point shy of his season high of 28 set against Berea. Gavin Schippert finished with 11 points, Stowers chipped in nine points, while Brooks and Deric Cannady each scored eight as Wabash balanced its scoring attack.
 
Kenyon scored 29 bench points, led by Lendvay's 13 and Corrigan Conaty's 10, a key factor in the Owls' second-half surge. Mazeika led Kenyon with 16 points, while Graves added nine points and 10 rebounds.
 
Wabash continues its two-game conference road swing on Wednesday evening with a 7 p.m. NCAC contest at Wittenberg University.