Granville, Ohio – The Big Red dominated from start to finish, defeating Wooster 80-59 at Livingston Gymnasium on Wednesday night. Denison built an early lead and never looked back, improving to 11-6 overall and 6-2 in NCAC play.
First Half: Luke Salkowski got things started with an early dunk to ignite the game.
Samson Zack knocked down a three-pointer to give Denison a two-point lead with 14:31 remaining.
Nick Heath followed with back-to-back triples to break a 15-15 tie and push the Big Red ahead 21-15 at 12:33. After
Tyler Martin's layup made it 23-19 at 10:12, Denison didn't score again until 7:35, when Heath drained three straight threes to extend the lead to 32-21 with 6:14 left. Denison continued hitting shots to maintain a double-digit advantage, closing out the half with a jumper from
Owen Giannoulias to take a 38-27 lead into halftime. Health grabbed 20 points alone in the first-half.
Second Half: Denison continued to extend its lead as
Nick Heath opened the quarter with another three-pointer.
Ellis Appiah added a three of his own, then followed with a layup at 15:53 to push the Big Red ahead 50-31. Denison's next basket didn't come until 12:06, when
Liam Taylor drained a triple to make it 53-37. Taylor struck again from beyond the arc at 9:04 to give Denison a 15-point cushion, 60-45.
Samson Zack and Appiah each hit a three-pointer to stretch the lead to 70-51 with 6:10 remaining, and
Aidan King knocked down his first three of the game to keep the Big Red comfortably in front, 73-53. Denison would keep it steady the rest of the way, and pick up their sixth conference win of the season, 80-59.
Team Highlights:
- Nick Heath tied his career record for three-pointers made in a game with seven, in which he had six in the first half. He finished his night with 23 points and two rebounds while also eclipsing the 500-point mark in his career.
- Kellon Smith recorded his ninth consecutive game with double figures. He finished his night with 14 points on 62.5 percent shooting (5-8).
- Ellis Appiah was the final Big Red to score in double digits with 14 points. It is his third double figure game of the season.
- 10 different Denison players scored.
- Denison had 23 assists in comparison to Wooster's five, tying a season-high. Jack Steinbach led the way with seven.
Up next: The Big Red will stay at home to face Oberlin College on Wednesday, January 28th, at 7 p.m. for another conference matchup.
