The DePauw defense refused to let Wabash get the ball to either Joe DesJean (Indianapolis, IN/Perry Meridian) or Brady Claxton (Shelbyville, IN/Shelbyville) in any position to shoot. DesJean fouled out of the game with 12 points and only three rebounds. Claxton led Wabash with 13 points. The Tigers also turned the 23 Wabash turnovers into 26 points as DePauw never trailed in the game.
The start of the game was certainly not what Little Giant fans were hoping for. Against a constant full court pressure by DePauw, Wabash committed 13 turnovers in the first 10 minutes of the game while scoring only four points. Wabash overcame a lethargic first 18 minutes to cut the Tigers’ lead to three at halftime. Wabash scored the final nine points of the first half while holding DePauw scoreless over the final three minutes of the opening period. Free throw shooting and good defense kept the Little Giants in the game in the first half. Six free throws by Jesse Burgess (Camby, IN/Mooresville) during that 9-0 run allowed Wabash to creep back into the game, trailing 24-21 at the half.
Wabash would get no closer, however to start the second half. DePauw jumped out to another nine-point lead by hitting two thee-pointers and crashing the offensive boards. The Tigers once again got the lead to double-digits, but a hook shot by Eric Buck (Indianapolis, IN/Cardinal Ritter) made it a 41-32 contest with 11:09 left in the game.
DePauw refused to let the Little Giants get back into the game. Wabash had opportunities to trim the Tigers’ lead, but could not find the range from the free throw line. After going 10-for-10 in the first half from the charity stripe, Wabash was just 10-of-21 in the final period.
The Little Giants had trimmed the lead to 12 with 6:03 left in the game, but a wide-open layup and a Wabash foul gave DePauw a 54-39 lead. Then the Little Giants came back to life again.
Two blocked shots by DesJean sparked the Wabash defense and back-to-back Claxton three-pointers cut the lead to seven with 4:15 left. But the run was short lived. Another basket and free throw by Owens sent DePauw to a 60-48 lead with just under four minutes to play.
But the Tigers kept up the full court pressure and hit their free throws down the stretch to earn their first win of the season.
Wabash (4-2) will open the North Coast Athletic Conference portion of its season on Sunday against Denison University. Tipoff at Chadwick Court is 2 p.m.