Denison closed out the regular season with a 64-53 home victory over Hiram College on Saturday afternoon in Granville, Ohio.  With the win, the Big Red secured the second seed in next week's North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.

As the second seed, Denison will host seventh-seeded Ohio Wesleyan on Tuesday evening at 7:30 p.m.  The Big Red swept the season series with the Battling Bishops.

It was a tightly contested first half, but a late run sent DU into the locker room with a 33-21 lead.  Ahead by three with 3:06 to play in the first, the Big Red used a 9-1 run to build a 12-point lead.  Sophomore Gretchen Staubach opened the run with back-to-back jumpers.  After Tiffany Shields split a pair at the line, seniors Annie-Rae Dura and Jessica Grzybowski each scored from short range, while Kyli Parker added a layup with four seconds on the clock.

Denson led wire-to-wire in the second half, leading by as many as 19 points on three different occasions.    Despite a pair of Hiram 3-pointers inside the final minute, the Big Red closed out the regular season with an impressive home win.

DU held a commanding 52-31 advantage on the glass, including 29 offensive rebounds.  Off of those 29 offensive boards, the Big Red scored 25 second chance points compared to just four for the Terriers.  In addition to a season-high 52 rebounds, Denison also committed a season-low eight turnovers.

Serafina Nuzzo and Jane Windler paced the Big Red with 12 points each, while first-year Lydia Harlan grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds.  Nuzzo also logged five assists and three steals, while Nicole Coggins and Dura each pulled down eight boards.

Shields led all scorers with 23 points, while Amy Geisman added eight points and a team-best seven rebounds.

The Big Red enters the NCAC Tournament with an 18-7 record, while Hiram falls to 9-16 overall.

Note: Prior to the game Denison recognized seniors Annie-Rae Dura, Jessica Grzybowski and Christina Myers.