Three Wabash players reached double figures and 13 of the 15 Little Giants that played scored. The Little Giants erased a seven-point deficit in the second half to defeat the Kenyon College Lords 70-55.
The Little Giants burnt through the lid that was blocking the basket in their last five losses, shooting an impressive 57-percent (17-of-30) from the field in the second half after connecting on just 11-of 40 shots in the opening period.
Wabash trailed by one at the midway break. It looked as if the same fate that had haunted the Little Giant over the past five games would strike again. Wabash came into the contest hitting on 37-percent of its shots from the field while falling behind at the half and failing to score in the opening minutes of the second period. Kenyon increased its lead in Saturday’s game by seven in the first two minutes after the break.
In this game, however, the Little Giants answered with a 21-6 run, started by back-to-back baskets by sophomore Kyle Coffey (Greenwood, IN/Beech Grove) to start the offensive comeback by Wabash. Coffey finished the game with a career-best 13 points to lead the Little Giants in scoring. He also had three of the Little Giants’ five blocked shots.
Senior Zeljko Gavranovic (Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina/St. Mary’s, AZ) added 12 points and eight rebounds to the Wabash victory. Sophomore Kyle Medeiros (Indianapolis, IN/Ben Davis) added 11 points.
The Wabash defense put the clamps on Kenyon in the second half, holding the Lords to 8-of-26 shooting from the field and 14 of their 25 turnovers. The Little Giants were just two steals away from the single-game record, making 16 thefts in the contest. Sophomore Adonis Joseph (Mishawaka, IN/Mishawaka) led the squad with four picks.
The victory ended a five-game losing streak for Wabash while giving them a spotless 1-0 mark in North Coast Athletic Conference play. The Little Giants will return to action on Friday night in the second game of the Pete Thorn Basketball Tournament against Kendall College. Marian and Upper Iowa will meet at 6 p.m., followed by the Wabash vs. Kendall game at 8 p.m.