Those were the biggest numbers in Wabash’s 95-86 overtime loss to Wittenberg University on Wednesday night at Chadwick Court.
Twenty-two points was the deficit that the Little Giants had to fight back from to send the game into an extra period. Wabash trailed 34-12 with 6:03 remaining in the first half before going on a 22-7 run over the next five minutes to cut the Tigers’ lead to eight. Rod Emmons hit one of his eight three-pointers in the final minute to send Wittenberg to the locker room with a 44-33 halftime lead. Emmons was red-hot all game long, scoring a game-high 38 points on 11-of-16 shooting, 8-of-13 from the three-point arc.
The answer for Wabash came in the form of junior sharpshooter Matt Storm (Anderson, IN/Lapel) (photo). The third-year guard scored a team-high 21 points coming off the bench. Storm connected on 7-of-14 shots from the field and was 5-of-11 on three-point attempts.
His biggest three of the game, however, came with four seconds left in the second half.
Wabash trailed by six points with 1:46 left in regulation. The Little Giants took advantage of missed free throws by the Tigers in the closing minute of the second half to cut the lead to three with eight seconds showing on the game clock. Storm dribbled down the floor then stepped to the top of the key and fired a 20-foot shot that drew nothing but net to tie the game for the first time all night.
Three inches were all that stood between the Little Giants and victory in the final four seconds of regulation. After Wittenberg took a timeout, the Tigers fired a length-of-the-floor pass that was picked off near midcourt by Kyle Medeiros (Indianapolis, IN/Ben Davis). The freshman guard stepped across the line and flipped a shot toward the rim that hit the front iron, bounding away to setup an extra five-minute period.
Fifteen feet ended up being the difference in the extra period. The Tigers hit nine consecutive free throws in the extra period, outscoring Wabash 15-6 in the overtime to earn the win.
Joe DesJean (Indianapolis, IN/Perry Meridian) finished with 17 points for the Little Giants. Eric Buck (Indianapolis, IN/Cardinal Ritter) and Chris Waters (Gary, IN/Calumet) each added 13 points.
Wabash falls to 14-9 with the loss, 8-7 in the North Coast Athletic Conference. The Little Giants also fall into a tie for fourth place in the latest NCAC standings, along with Earlham and Ohio Wesleyan.
It was Senior Night at Chadwick Court as the Little Giant faithful thanked seniors Buck, Jesse Burgess (Camby, IN/Mooresville), Kip Chase (Bedford, IN/Bedford North Lawrence), Brady Claxton (Shelbyville, IN/Shelbyville), DesJean, Reed Hoyer (West Lafayette, IN/West Lafayette), and Ryan Short (Indianapolis, IN/Perry Meridian) for their contributions to the Wabash basketball program. They will join the rest of squad in the final game of the regular season on Saturday afternoon at Kenyon College. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.