With the Little Giants leading by one point, OWU's Travis Schwab fired a jumper from about 12 feet out with just three seconds left in the game. DesJean exploded into the air, rejecting the shot. Schwab grabbed the loose ball, but only had enough time for a desperation heave that missed to give Wabash the win.
DesJean connected on 8-of-12 shots from the field. Senior Eric Buck (Indianapolis, IN/Cardinal Ritter) added 12 points for the Little Giants, hitting 6-of-9 shots from the field.
Both teams could have played without a three-point line on the court. Neither Wabash nor Ohio Wesleyan could hit a trey in the opening 20 minutes. Wabash was 0-for-11 at halftime behind the arc, while Ohio Wesleyan missed all 12 of its attempts from three-point range. The Little Giants finished the game 3-of-18, while OWU hit 3-of-19.
Neither team spent much time at the free throw line, either. The Little Giants shot just 33-percent from the charity stripe, connecting on only 2-of-6 free throws. The Bishops hit five free throws, but attempted only eight in the game.
Wabash jumped out to an eight-point lead midway through the first half, stretching it to ten with a 16-6 advantage with 9:07 showing on the first-half clock. The Bishops kept cutting into the lead, however, tying the game at 23-23 with 1:15 remaining in the opening period. A driving layup by freshman Chris Waters (Gary, IN/Calumet) put Wabash up by two at the half.
Neither team would take more than a three-point lead in the second half before the Little Giants took a three-point lead on a Brady Claxton (Shelbyville, IN/Shelbyville) three-point basket with 1:06 left in the game, scoring three of his 10 points in the contest. Schwab answered with two free throws for two of his game-high 23 points, then got the opportunity to try for the win after Wabash missed a free throw with 15 seconds left, setting up the final plays of the game.
Wabash moves into sole possession of third place in the latest North Coast Athletic Conference standings with the win, combined with an 82-39 loss by Earlham College against Wittenberg University. The Little Giants (14-7, 8-5 NCAC) travel to Oberlin, Ohio on Saturday afternoon to play the Oberlin College Yeomen. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.