A 16-2 run late in the first half was more than the Wabash basketball squad could overcome on Wednesday night, leading the 18th-ranked Wittenberg Tigers to an 84-46 victory over the Little Giants in North Coast Athletic Conference play.
Both teams came out strong defensively, keeping the game close throughout the opening minutes. After a short run by the Tigers to take a 10-5 lead at the 14-minute mark, Wabash came roaring back. Sophomore guard Adonis Joseph (Mishawaka, IN/Mishawaka) scored on a driving layup, then stole the ball at the defensive end of the floor, eventually hitting two free throws to cut the Wittenberg lead to two points. Freshman reserved Ronnie Ragains (Fredricksburg, IN/West Washington) brought the Little Giants even with a jumper from the right wing. Another defensive stand by Wabash gave the Little Giants a chance to take the lead, an opportunity they took advantage of when George Colakovich (Munster, IN/Munster) drove after taking a pass from Ragains to send Wabash up 14-12.
It was the last lead the Little Giants would enjoy. Wittenberg answered with a quick basket to tie the game, followed by a short 7-0 run before setting up the big explosion.
Wabash trimmed the Tiger’s advantage to five points on a turn-around jumper by sophomore center Kyle Coffey (Greenwood, IN/Center Grove) before Wittenberg went on the 16-2 run over the next five minutes to race out to a 37-18 lead. Wabash would get no closer in the closing minutes of the half, watching the Tigers go to the locker room with a 41-22 advantage at the midway point of the game.
Wittenberg went on a 9-2 run to open the second half to push its lead to 26, ending any hopes of a fast start to the second half for the Little Giants in an attempt to regroup after the break. Wabash would get no closer than 20 points against the nationally-ranked Tigers.
Bench scoring, a battle that Wabash has normally won all season long, went the way of the Tigers on Wednesday. The Wittenberg reserves outscored the Little Giants 32-19 in the contest. The Tigers also crushed Wabash on the boards, grabbing 51 rebounds to only 35 for the Little Giants. Wabash connected on only 15-of-54 shots from the field for just 27.8-percent, while Wittenberg hit 29-of-68 for 42.6-percent.
Wabash was led by the nine-point effort of senior guard Matt Storm (Anderson, IN/Lapel).
The path gets no easier for Wabash (8-12, 6-5 NCAC). The Little Giants return to Chadwick Court on Saturday, February 7 to face the seventh-ranked College of Wooster Fighting Scots in a 2 p.m. contest. Wabash lost 71-50 to the Scots in Wooster back in January.