GRANVILLE, Ohio (February 3, 2024) – Tyler Miller scored a game-high 22 points and the Big Red sank a season-high 15 3-pointers, but it was not enough to push Denison University past Wabash College as the Little Giants prevailed 89-81 during the Big Red's Senior Day on Saturday afternoon inside Livingston Gymnasium.

The lone senior for the Big Red this season was forward Emmett Burnside, who despite the outcome, had a memorable Senior Day performance with 10 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three blocks. In addition to recording his second double-double this season, Burnside's rebounding, assist, and block totals were all game-highs on Saturday.

Miller, meanwhile, did his damage from shooting 6-for-13 from the field, 3-for-6 from three and 7-for-8 from the free throw line, and he was followed by Aidan King (14 points) and Scotty Dean (12 points), who both shot 4-for-5 from 3-point range. For King, it was his first-career game with four made 3-pointers while for Dean, who made each of his 3-pointers in the second half, it was his fifth game this season with at least four made threes.

As a team, Denison (12-10 overall, 8-5 North Coast Athletic Conference) was 15-for-27 (55.6 percent) from three, including a percentage of 64.29 percent (9-14) in the second half, but only went to the free throw line 11 times (8-11) while Wabash (14-8, 10-3) converted on 23 of its 28 free throw attempts (82.1 percent) and was also very effective from 3-point range (10 -19; 52.6 percent). In addition, both teams shot a season-best from 3-point range in the contest.

Early in the second half, back-to-back steals by Cameron Smith led to a 3-pointer and a short jumper in the paint, both by King, to give Denison its first lead of the game (47-46) with just under 15 minutes remaining.

King then followed that up with his fourth 3-pointer of the game to make it a four-point Denison lead (50-46) on the next possession; but Wabash answered with back-to-back layups before retaking the lead on two free throws with 12:52 left.

The two teams then traded 3-pointers on the next two possessions as the lead switch hands for the final two times in the game, and then a second straight 3-pointer by Wabash's Avery Beaver made it a 61-56 Little Giants lead with a little bit over 10 and a half minutes left to play.

Then the seventh and final tie of the game came after a 3-pointer by Dean made it 61-61 with nine minutes left, but Wabash again answered with a layup on its next possession and would maintain the lead the rest of the way.

Another 3-pointer by Dean got Denison to within two (67-65) with 6:45 on the clock, but a 9-0 Little Giants' run made it an 11-point game (76-55) with just four minutes to go, and then Wabash never let Denison get closer than to within six, which did not occur until the final 30 seconds of the game. Wabash's largest lead of the game was seven points until the pivotal 9-0 run that saw the Little Giants score on four straight possessions.

Next week will see Denison play in back-to-back roads game at DePauw University on Wednesday, February 7 (8 p.m.), and at Kenyon College on Saturday, February 10 (2 p.m.). The Big Red will then finish off the regular season at home against Wittenberg University on Wednesday, February 14 (7 p.m.).

 
Senior Day Recap:
Emmett Burnside has played in 67 games in his career and has started in 14 games so far this season. He has totaled 215 points, 237 rebounds, 104 assists, 41 steals and 41 blocks in his career, and is a 51.7 percent career shooter. This season he is averaging 5.0 points, is second on the team at 5.6 rebounds and leads the team with 2.6 assists per game, and he recorded his first-career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in Denison's 100-80 victory over Susquehanna University (Dec. 29, 2023).

Denison men's basketball also recognized their graduating student managers during Senior Day. Ana Ignjatovic is from Belgrade, Serbia, and is a double major in Psychology and German at Denison. Ana has served as the head student manager of the men's basketball program for the last four seasons. Ana is also the President of Denison University's Big Brother's & Big Sisters of America program, served as a Peer Mentor, an August Orientation leader, and is an active member of the Delta Gamma sorority. The men's basketball program is forever indebted to Ana's time and efforts over the last four years. Harrison Hamm has served as the data analytics specialist for the Big Red over the past two years. Harrison is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is a Politics and Public Affairs major with a concentration in narrative journalism at Denison. With his passion for basketball, Harrison has also worked as an analyst for the Denison Sports Network and is a freelance writer for his own NBA newsletter, 'Only One Down.'