Wabash outscored the Hiram College Terriers by ten points in the final period, but could not overcome a horrific first half and a 21-point deficit on the way to an 80-72 loss and an 0-2 start in North Coast Athletic Conference basketball play.
The Little Giants took a 2-0 lead on two Brian Maloney free throws before being outscored 10-0 over the next six minutes. Wabash would not score a basket until the 14:09 mark when Nick Curosh hit a layup to cut the Terriers’ lead to six points.
Hiram exploded offensively in the first half, racing down the floor for easy baskets and big three-point shots. The Terriers hit 17-of-31 shots from the field in the opening period, including 8-of-15 from beyond the three-point arc for a 44-26 halftime advantage after leading by as many as 21 points.
Wabash hit only nine baskets in the first 20 minutes, shooting just 30 percent from the field. A quick layup by Maloney to start the second period followed by back-to-baskets by Wes Smith trimmed the lead to 14. Hiram would answer, boosting the score back to 51-32 with 16:25 left in the game.
The Little Giants finally caught fire on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. Chase Haltom hit a three-pointer --- the 120th of his career to move him to fourth on the Wabash all-time three-point baskets list. Smith added four more baskets along with a score from Aaron Brock and suddenly the Little Giants found themselves in a 10-point game.
Smith scored twice more to cut the lead to six with 4:10 left in the contest. Hiram’s Babajide Eniola responded with a basket and two free throws on the next two trips to stretch the lead back to double digits.
Wabash rallied one last time. Smith drove the lane before dumping a last-second pass to Maloney for an easy layup. A turnover by the Terriers at the other end set up another Haltom three to make it a 71-66 game at the 1:24 mark.
The Little Giants fouled quickly to send Glenn Campbell to the free throw line. He missed the charity toss, giving Wabash a chance to make it a one possession ball game. Haltom and Gilman could not convert on two consecutive three-point shots before Hiram hit two free throws in the waning moments of the game. Andrew Gilman drilled a three at the other end of the floor to cut the lead to four points with 39 seconds remaining, but it would be as close as Wabash would get before free throws led to the final score.
Smith finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Little Giants. Haltom added 12 points, while Maloney finished with 10. Wabash held Hiram’s leading scorer, Chris Roberts, to just eight points --- well below his 22.9 points-per-game average. The rest of the Terriers (7-4, 2-0 NCAC) picked up the slack, however. Ian Pfouts led the way with 14 points. Eniola and Andrew Weigand each had 13, while Deon Milton added 11.
The loss drops Wabash to 5-5 for the season and the first 0-2 start since the Little Giants joined the NCAC for the 1999-2000 season. The Little Giants close out the weekend road trip Saturday afternoon at Allegheny.