Southern Indiana Today

Second-Half Rally Gives Wabash Home Win Over Kenyon

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Wabash overcame a fast second-half start by Kenyon to claim  a 74-69 victory in North Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball action Saturday at Chadwick Court.

Wabash (15-4, 8-2 NCAC) led by as many as 12 points with 3:02 remaining in the first half before Kenyon 7-13, 0-11 NCAC) before the Owls scored the final eight points of the period to cut the Little Giants' advantage to 39-35 at the break.

 

Kenyon followed its late first-half scoring attack by notching the first five points of the second half to claim a 40-39 lead. Ahmoni Jones gave the lead back to Wabash with his driving layup, but the Owls answered by scoring the next eight points to move back in front 48-41 with 16:29 remaining in the contest. Kenyon answered a Champ McCorkle basket with another three-pointer to take a 51-43 lead before Wabash mounted a rally.

 

The Little Giants ran off an 8-0 scoring run over the next two minutes to erase the Kenyon lead and move back in front  53-51. The Owls tied the score before another 5-0 scoring run put Wabash in front 58-53. Kenyon cut the lead to one point at 63-62 with 4:45 left to play before a layup by Gefen Bar-Cohen gave the Owls a one-point lead. Wabash answered with six straight points, capped by a pair of Edreece Redmond free throws to move back in front 69-64.

 

Kenyon cut the lead back to three points at 69-66 with 30 seconds remaining in the contest, but four consecutive free throws from freshman Josh Whack lifted the Little Giants to a seven-point lead with eight seconds left to play. Kenyon added a final three-pointer before Vinny Buccilla closed the game with a free throw to produce the five-point victory.

 

The Little Giants finished with four players scoring in double figures, led by Jones, who had 18 points. McCorkle added 16 points, six rebounds, and three steals. Redmond chipped in as well with 12 points and nine rebounds. Sam Comer returned to the Wabash lineup and finished with 10 points and a team-high four assists.

 

The Wabash defense effectively took away the basketball in Saturday's game, forcing 20 Kenyon turnovers while committing 12. The Little Giants converted the 20 takeaways into 18 points on the offensive end of the floor. McCorkle's three steals led the way individually for the Little Giants.

 

How It Happened

After playing to a 2-2 tie, Wabash went on a 7-0 run with 18:06 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Jones, to take a 9-2 lead. Wabash did most of its first-half damage in the paint, scoring 20 of its 39 points close to the basket.

 

Kenyon proceeded to take a 51-43 lead before Wabash went on a 10-0 run to seize a 53-51 lead with 12:58 to go in the contest. The Little Giants kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 74-69 win. Wabash capitalized on 11 Kenyon turnovers in the period, collecting nine points off those turnovers.

 

Game Notes

» Wabash shot 23-of-50 from the field (46 percent) and made 5-of-20 three-point tries (25 percent). The Little Giants finished 23-of-31 from the free throw line (74.2 percent).

» The visiting Owls snagged 33 rebounds, with Drew Valentino leading the way with 11. Wabash grabbed 27 rebounds. Redmond paced the Little Giants with nine boards.

» Kenyon finished 27-of-52 from the field (51.9 percent) and shot 10-for-17 from three-point range. The Owls went 5-of-9 from the free throw stripe.

» Bar-Cohen led the Owls with 16 points. Anthony Testa added 15 points. Nick Nelson and Peter Haas each scored 10 points for Kenyon.

Original source can be found here.