The victory, the fourth straight in North Coast Athletic Conference play, allowed the Little Giants to move into sole possession of third place in the conference standings after Ohio Wesleyan's 54-51 loss at Hiram on Saturday night. Free throw shooting, which has been a problem for Wabash most of the season, was a strong point for the Little Giants against Denison. Wabash connected on 26-of-32 free thows for 81-percent in the game. Wabash hit 22-of-25 charity tosses in the second half to eliminate a one-point halftime deficit.
The Little Giants had no problems finding the basket in the second half from the field, either. Wabash missed five shots in the final period, hitting 15-of-20 field goal attempts for 75-percent.
After taking a 7-0 lead to open the game, Wabash saw the Big Red respond with a 12-4 run to take a one-point lead. The Little Giants saw the home team jump ahead by six before trimming the lead to one, 26-25, at the break.
Junior Ryan Short (Indianapolis, IN/Perry Meridian) carried the offensive load for the Little Giants in the first half, scoring 11 of his 17 points in the opening period. He hit 4-of-6 shots from the field, including his 12th three-pointer of the season.
The second half belonged to the Little Giants. Junior Joe DesJean (Indianapolis, IN/Perry Meridian) scored 12 points, finishing with a game-high 20. He hit 6-of-7 shots to give the Little Giants a dominating presence in the lane.
The game stayed close, despite the excellent shooting by Wabash, for the first eight minutes of the final half before the Little Giants pushed the lead to six on a David Wagner (Belleville, IL/Belleville) three-point shot. The Little Giants increased their advantage to as many as 18 points, holding on for the 11-point win.
Brady Claxton (Shelbyville, IN/Shelbyville) scored 11 points for Wabash. Ryan Smith (Indianapolis, IN/Decatur Central) added 10 points.
Wabash will put its four-game winning streak on the line on Wednesday night at home against conference and in-state rival Earlham College. The tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.