For the first time since 1998 the Denison men's basketball team will compete in a North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal. They will do so as the No. 5 seed and will travel to Springfield, Ohio on Friday night for a clash with top-seeded Wittenberg at 8 p.m.
Over the last month the Big Red has been one of the hottest teams in the Great Lakes region, going 7-2 while pulling its overall season record to 13-13. On Tuesday at Wabash, the Big Red found themselves trailing by 13 points with 16 minutes to play in the contest. That's when senior Larry Farmer kicked it into high-gear, and proceeded to outscore the Little Giants 17-0 by himself over the next six minutes of play. Excellent team defense and Farmer's hot hand brought Denison back from the brink of elimination and punched the program's ticket to the NCAC semifinals for the fourth time.
Denison outscored Wabash 52-29 in the second half and shot a blistering 67 percent from the field. Farmer finished with 28 points and 11 rebounds off a 10-for-13 shooting night and Dimonde Hale added 21 points and 10 rebounds while going 9-of-12 from the free throw line.
Over the last nine games Denison has shot 46 percent from the field, outscored opponents by six points per game and outrebounded opponents by more than seven per game. For the season, Hale is averaging 16.6 ppg and is third in the conference in scoring. Farmer checks in at 12.8 ppg and a team-high 8.1 rebounds per game.
Denison and Wittenberg have one prior meeting this season. The Tigers came away with a 67-58 victory on Jan. 14 in Springfield. Denison tied the game at 55-55 with four minutes to play but a 12-3 Wittenberg run to close out the game sealed the victory for the Tigers.
In the other NCAC semifinal, No. 2 Wooster will take on No. 3 Ohio Wesleyan at 6 p.m. from Pam Evans Arena in Springfield. The Denison-Wittenberg contest will start at 8 p.m. or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the opening game. Wittenberg will provide a live video broadcast of the game and live stats will also be available for those who cannot attend. Admission for those attending will be $10 for adults; $5 for students, children 18 and under, and NCAC guest pass-holders. NCAC students with ID and NCAC lifetime pass-holders are admitted free of charge. One ticket is good for admission to both games.
