The Denison men's basketball team dropped its first road contest of the 2011-12 season at Case Western Reserve University on Tuesday evening.  The Spartans posted a 70-65 decision over DU.

The Big Red looked good in the opening 10 minutes of action, outscoring Case Western Reserve 19-4.  The run featured many contributors including junior Dimonde Hale with six points, and seniors Larry Farmer and Jim Leffew, who each scored four points.

Despite the hot start, Denison struggled to find the bottom of the basket over the final 10 minutes of the period.  The Spartans answered the early Big Red surge with a 21-8 run to close out the opening frame.  After holding a 15-point lead on two separate occasions, DU entered the locker room with a 27-25 edge.

The two-point lead was short lived as CWRU opened the second half with a David Thompson layup to tie the game at 27-27.  The Spartans followed up with a 9-2 run that gave them their largest lead of the night at seven.  The Big Red continued to battle back, and eventually tied the game at 48-48 thanks to a Casey Stockton three-pointer and a free throw by Hale.

Case Western Reserve regained a seven-point advantage with 2:39 to play following a Tom Summers old-fashioned three-point play.  Now trailing 66-61, Leffew buried a triple to trim the deficit to two with 37 seconds on the clock.  However, some clutch free throws saved the Spartans victory.

Hale logged his first double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds.  Farmer added 12 points, seven assists and four rebounds, while Leffew and Brett Tiberi each finished with nine tallies.

The Spartan offense was paced by Summers' 17 points and Thompson's 13 tallies.  Thompson and Austin Fowler each grabbed eight boards to pace Case Western Reserve on the glass.

Denison falls to 1-3 on the year, while the Spartans improve to 2-2.  The Big Red returns to the court on Sunday (Nov. 27) when they travel to Bexley, Ohio to take on Capital University.  Tip-off from the Capital Center is scheduled for 2 p.m.