GRANVILLE, Ohio — Wabash College matched Denison University possession for possession through much of Wednesday evening, but a decisive second-half surge fueled by second-chance points and perimeter shooting lifted the Big Red to a 91-84 North Coast Athletic Conference victory at Livingston Gymnasium.

Wabash struck first behind an early three-pointer by Gavin Schippert, but Denison answered quickly to set the tone for a tightly contested opening half. Luke Ellspermann connected on a three at the 17:32 mark to put Wabash in front 6-4, and Colton Stowers followed with a triple of his own at 16:22 to make it 9-8 in favor of the Little Giants.

After Denison briefly moved ahead, Wabash produced its best first-half stretch midway through the period. Rich Brooks knocked down a three off a turnover at 11:51, and Nate Matelic capped a 7-0 run with a fast-break layup at 11:22, pushing Wabash to its largest lead at 21-15.

Denison responded with a sustained push of its own. The Big Red scored seven unanswered points over the next three minutes, turning the six-point deficit into a 23-21 advantage. The teams continued to trade baskets and the lead changed hands several times over the final minutes of the half. Brooks buried a three-pointer with 41 seconds remaining, and Matelic finished a layup at the buzzer to trim the margin to 41-40 at halftime.

Wabash briefly regained the lead to open the second half when Josh Whack scored on a layup at 19:49, but Denison answered immediately and reclaimed control. After Brooks tied the game at 51-51 with a three-pointer at the 15:36 mark, the Big Red began to separate themselves.

Denison used a 12-5 run over the next six minutes, highlighted by second-chance baskets and transition scoring, to open a 66-56 advantage with 9:03 remaining. During that stretch, Denison converted multiple offensive rebounds into points and knocked down timely three-pointers to halt Wabash rallies.

The Little Giants continued to battle. Keegan Manowitz drilled a three at 8:47, and Ellspermann added a triple at 8:02 to cut the deficit to seven. Manowitz hit another three at 7:02, and Stowers scored on a tip-in at 6:19 to pull Wabash within 73-67.

Each push was met by an answer. Denison shot 6-of-10 from three-point range in the second half and extended the margin back to double digits on multiple occasions. Ellspermann scored seven points in the final three minutes, trimming the deficit to six twice, but the Big Red closed the game at the free-throw line to secure the win.
 
Ellspermann led Wabash with 25 points, while Brooks added 14. Whack scored 12 and Schippert finished with 11. Wabash shot 53.7 percent from the field and connected on nine three-pointers but was unable to overcome Denison's efficiency after halftime. Denison finished the game shooting 57.4 percent (31-of-54) from the field, including 52.9 percent (9-of-17) from three-point range, and converted 20 of 21 free throws (95.2 percent). Five Big Red players scored in double figures, led by 16 points from Nick Heath and Ellis Appiah. Liam Taylor and Kellon Smith each scored 14 points, as did Aidan King coming off the bench. Denison finished with a 41-15 advantage in bench scoring and converted 16 second-chance points off 11 offensive rebounds. Wabash scored eight second-chance points on eight offensive boards.


The loss leaves Wabash trailing Denison by two games in the NCAC standings with five games remaining in the regular season. The Little Giants return to action on Saturday, February 7, with a conference home game against the College of Wooster at 2 p.m. at Chadwick Court.