The Denison men's basketball team suffered an 83-77 setback in Saturday's regular season finale at Ohio Wesleyan.

With the loss, the Big Red will hit the road for the opening round of the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.  On Tuesday, DU will return to Crawfordsville, Ind. for the second time this season to take on the Wabash Little Giants.  The two squads split the season series with Denison's victory coming at Wabash.

The two squads battled back-and-forth for the entire 20 minutes of the opening period.  Tied at 35-35, Dre Winters gave OWU back the lead with a free throw.  On the ensuing Bishop possession, Tim Brady drained a three at the buzzer to give Ohio Wesleyan a four-point edge at the break.

The Battling Bishops jumped out to an eight-point lead early in the second half.  However, a pair of buckets by senior Larry Farmer, and a three-point play from senior Brett Tiberi trimmed the deficit to 47-46.

Throughout the frame, Denison was able to close within a possession.  However, clutch shots by Ohio Wesleyan stopped the Big Red from tying the contest or taking the lead.  DU trimmed the deficit to 67-65 late in the period, but a 3-pointer by Brady ultimately sealed the OWU victory.

Denison shot 40 percent (27-for-68) from the field, while the Bishops converted a 42 percent clip (25-for-59).  OWU also held a 42-40 edge on the glass.

Dimonde Hale paced the Big Red with 21 points to go along with nine rebounds and three steals.  Farmer logged a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while senior Jim Leffew chipped in 11 points.

Brady led Ohio Wesleyan with a game-high 32 points, while Andy Winters and Marshall Morris each added 10 points.  Reuel Rogers and Vaughn Spaulding grabbed 10 and nine rebounds, respectively.

DU ends the regular season with a 12-13 mark, while OWU improves to 19-6.  Denison will take the floor in Crawfordsville, Ind. on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.