Wabash enjoyed an early 7-6 lead Wednesday night against Ohio Wesleyan before the Battling Bishops took advantage of 21 offensive rebounds on the way to a 74-50 victory at Chadwick Court.
An Andy Root three-pointer three minutes into the North Coast Athletic Conference game erased a 6-0 start for OWU, capping a 7-0 run for the Little Giants to give Wabash the lead. The Bishops would take another six-point lead over the next three minutes on their way to a 38-20 edge at halftime.
Ohio Wesleyan took advantage of 10 offensive rebounds in the opening period, scoring 13 second change points and 24 points of its 38 points in the lane. The Bishops continued that trend in the final period, finishing the game with 21 second chance points on those 21 offensive boards while picking up a total of 50 rebounds in the contest. Ohio Wesleyan hit 33 out of 68 shots (48.5 percent), while Wabash was 18-of-51 (35.3 percent). The Little Giants had 26 total rebounds. Fifty-six of OWU's 74 points came in the paint.
Wabash was led by Andrew Zimmer with 16 points. Root and Aaron Brock each finished with 10. Ben Chojnacki scored 23 to pace the OWU effort. Dustin Rudegeair tossed in 22 and recorded 10 rebounds for a double-double.
The Little Giants (4-10, 1-4 NCAC) head to Ohio this Saturday for a matchup against the fifth-ranked College of Wooster Fighting Scots. Tipoff at Timken Gymnasium is set for 2 p.m.