Wabash hit only 5-of-13 free throws in the second half of Saturday’s championship game of the 2003 Little Giant Tipoff Classic, leading to a 73-59 loss to Olivet Nazarene University.
The Little Giants managed to shoot just 41-percent from the charity stripe, hitting just 7 out of 17 attempts. The Tigers connected on 19-of-28 for 68-percent.
Despite the poor free throw shooting, Wabash held a one-point lead to start the second half. But Olivet Nazarene outscored the Little Giants 10-0 over a four-minute stretch early in the second half to take a lead that the Tigers would never relinquish. After Olivet Nazarene took a 12-point lead, Wabash trimmed it back to seven points before a driving layup by Nate Bell (Ft. Wayne, IN/Concordia Lutheran) made it a 54-49 contest.
But Wabash would get no closer. The Tigers pushed the lead back up to 12 points with 4:28 left in the contest and hit 5-of-8 free throws in the final minutes to be crowned the tournament champions.
Three Little Giant players scored in double figures. Bell and senior Matt Storm (Anderson, IN/Lapel) each had 10 points. Fellow senior Zeljko Gavranovic (Sarajevo, Bosnia/Herzegovinia/St. Mary’s) recorded his first career double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the loss. Gavranovic and Storm both earned places on the all-tournament team. Olivet Nazarene’s Jeremy Riddle was named the tourney MVP after leading the Tigers to victory over Wabash with 17 points.
Wabash falls to 1-1 with the loss. The Little Giants return to the court on Tuesday, November 25 at Hanover College. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.