A season-high 18-point effort by senior Gary Simkus puncuated a strong offensive effort for the Little Giants in a 75-56 win over Allegheny Friday night. The victory at Chadwick Court gave Wabash its first North Coast Athletic Conference win of the season.
Simkus was nearly flawless from the field, hitting 7-of-9 shots, including two early three-pointers to send the Little Giants off to a 10-5 lead. Wabash would never trail in the contest, allowing Allegheny no closer than three points with 7:40 left in the opening period after two early runs by the Gators in the first five minutes of the game. (View photos from the game.)
The Wabash offense kept clicking all night. The Little Giants shot 29-of-59 from the field for 49 percent, cooling off in the second period after connecting on 17-of-31 attempts in the first half. Wabash nailed 4-of-7 three-point attempts in the opening period, as well.
Aaron Brock joined Simkus in double figures with 14 points, while Andrew Zimmer pitched in with 13 points. Chase Haltom had eight and Wes Smith added seven, including two thunderous dunks in the first half. Smith also equaled his season high in steals with five and had one of six blocked shots for the Wabash defense in the game.
The Gators came into the game with the 22nd-best scoring defense in the nation, but it was the Little Giants who put the handcuffs on the Allegheny offense. The Gators would shoot just 34.5 percent from the field (20-of-58). Leading scorer Charlie Jaicks averaged 14 points a contest coming into the game and was among the national leaders in shooting percentage. A combination of man-to-man defense and zone held Jaicks to eight points on 3-of-8 shooting.
Despite a good first half effort by the Little Giants, Allegheny refused to make it an easy game. The Gators drew to within nine points at halftime thanks to a jumper by George Raftis with five seconds on the clock. Allegheny closed to within eight points with 15:21 left in the game before an 11-1 run by Wabash sealed the victory.
Wabash (7-4, 1-1 NCAC) will play Hiram College Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. at Chadwick Court.
Photo - Freshman Wes Smith goes up for one of his two dunks in the game. The Little Giants cruised to a 75-56 win over Allegheny.