Greencastle, Ind. - In a game that featured four ties and 11 lead changes with neither team leading by more than seven points, visiting Wabash overtook DePauw in the second half and held on for a 74-70 North Coast Athletic Conference victory. DePauw dropped to 12-7 overall and 5-5 in the NCAC, while the Little Giants improved to 13-6 overall and 7-3 in conference play.
Wabash grabbed its largest lead of the first half at 26-19 after Nate Matelic's jumper with 7:21 left. DePauw baskets by
Patrick Joyce,
Sam Jacobs and
Reph Stevenson cut the Little Giants' lead to 26-25 and the teams swapped field goals over the final three minutes giving Wabash a 30-29 halftime advantage.
Jacobs opened the second half with a three and a layup to give the Tigers a 34-30 advantage. After Wabash evened the score at 39-39 on Rich Brooks' basket, the Tigers countered with a 7-0 run as
Brady Kunka started it with a basket before Jacobs added a three-point play and a jumper to give the hosts a 46-39 lead with 12:12 remaining.
The Little Giants quickly regained the lead with eight straight in 54 seconds as Gavin Schippert had a three-point play and a layup before Brooks hit a trey to give Wabash a 47-46 lead with 11:04 left. DePauw scored the next four to start an 8-2 stretch that lifted it to a 54-49 advantage at the 9:14 mark.
Wabash scored the next five on Schippert's three and Luke Ellspermann's layup before Joyce gave the Tigers a 56-54 lead with a bucket. Matelic's 3-pointer and Ellspermann's basket gave Wabash the lead for good.
The Little Giants pushed the margin to five at 63-58, but
Vince Nixon's field goal and Washington's two free throws with 2:59 left trimmed the deficit to 63-62. Brooks and Jacobs exchanged free throws before Josh Whack knocked in two free throws and Brooks buried a three with 1:18 remaining to extend the lead to 69-63.
DePauw closed to within three after
Billy Bach's three with 8.7 seconds left made it 73-70, but Ellspermann hit a free throw with 4.1 seconds left to seal the win.
Jacobs led DePauw with 22 points, while Stevenson and Kunka each grabbed eight rebounds. Stevenson and Smith had four assists apiece and Stevenson blocked five shots.
Schippert and Brooks each scored 19 for Wabash with Ellspermann adding 18. Schippert hauled down a game-high 10 rebounds and shared the assist lead with Ellspermann as each had four.
DePauw shot 43.4 percent from the field to Wabash's 44.1 percent, but the Little Giants connected on 56 percent in the second half. The Tigers held a 37-32 rebounding edge and committed 10 turnovers with Wabash totaling seven for a 10-4 edge in points off turnovers.
The Tigers return to NCAC action on Saturday, Jan. 31, with a 3 p.m. contest at John Carroll.
