The Wabash basketball team stayed even early with Kenyon College but could not overcome a 12-5 run in the final 3-1/2 minutes by Lords to win 71-59 at Chadwick Court Saturday afternoon.
It was festive day at Chadwick Court with the return of alumni for the Annual Alumni Basketball Team, a pre-game cookout courtesy of the Sphinx Club, entertainment by the Hoosier Dance Team, and a packed house for the Little Giants' game against Kenyon. (View photos of the varsity game here and pictures from the annual Alumni Basketball Game here.)
Wabash rode the energy in the opening minutes of its North Coast Athletic Conference matchup against Kenyon, rallying from a five-point deficit in the first five minutes to tie the contest at 13-13. The Little Giants would fall behind by seven points with six minutes left in the first half before a basket by Wes Smith and a basket and three-pointer by Chase Haltom drew Wabash even at 20-20. The Little Giants could not take the lead, however, and could not stop a Kenyon 6-0 run that helped the Lords to a 30-24 halftime lead.
The Lords pushed their advantage to double-digits in the opening minutes of the second half, eventually taking a 45-31 lead with 13:20 left to play on a three by Jim Arce. The Little Giants cut the lead to single digits, getting as close as five points with 9:10 remaining in the game on a put-back basket by Derek Bailey. Kenyon used a 9-4 run to go back up ten points. Wabash stayed in the game, closing to five once again when Brian Shelbourne hit a jumper to make it a 59-54 contest with 3:34 remaining.
The Lords' final scoring run was too much for Wabash. Kenyon capitalized at the line when the Little Giants were forced to foul in the closing moments. The Lords hit 10-of-13 free throws in the final minutes to account for all but two points in the last three minutes of the contest.
Three Little Giants scored in double figures, led by the 12-point effort of Wes Smith. Ben Burkett added 11 points, while Aaron Brock finished with 10. Kenyon's inside duo of Bryan Yelvington and Dave Knapke provided most of the damage for the Lords. Yelvington had a double-double with 23 points and 11 boards. Knapke also finished with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds. The Lords (12-7, 6-4 NCAC) dominated the paint, outscoring Wabash 42-26 in the lane.
Wabash shot 21-of-53 from the field, while the Lords went 26-of-51 for 51 percent. The Little Giants hit 3-of-15 shots from beyond the three-point arc. Kenyon was 4-of-12. The Lords also took advantage of 17 Little Giant turnovers, scoring a total of 23 points. Wabash also got 17 turnovers from Kenyon, but could only score 11 points off those miscues.
The Little Giants (8-10, 3-7 NCAC) play host to Ohio Wesleyan Wednesday night at Chadwick Court in a 7:30 p.m. contest.