GRANVILLE, Ohio —Behind a strong first-half surge and balanced scoring throughout, Denison men's basketball pulled away for a 75–61 victory over Wittenberg on Thursday night inside Livingston Gymnasium to advance to the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Final. The Big Red built a 17-point lead by halftime after outscoring the Tigers 38–21 in the opening period and maintained control down the stretch to secure the semifinal win improving to 18–8 overall and 12–1 in NCAC play.

First Half: Denison came out firing, opening the game with a three-pointer from Kellon Smith, who followed with the next seven points to spark an early surge. Samson Zack knocked down back-to-back triples to stretch the lead to 13–5 with 14:29 remaining. Owen Giannoulias added another from deep to make it 16–5. Smith kept the momentum alive with an and-one finish, while Nick Heath chipped in with a turnaround jumper and a three-pointer to extend the cushion to 24–7 with under 10 minutes left. Defensively, the Big Red clamped down as well, holding Wittenberg to single digits until the 5:50 mark of the half. Denison stayed in control down the stretch, closing the period on a 6–0 run to take a commanding 38–21 lead into the break.

Second Half: The Tigers opened up the half with an early push, scoring the first few points as they tried to chip away at the lead. Liam Taylor got on the board with a smooth floater, and Smith followed with a layup for his 18th point to stretch Denison's advantage to 42–26. The Tigers battled back to within single digits at 50–41 with 11:51 remaining, but the teams traded baskets down the stretch before the Big Red rebuilt a double-digit cushion with under 10 minutes to play. Denison was able to keep the lead with free-throws down the stretch to advance to the NCAC Tournament Final and win 75-61

Key Performers: 

• Kellon Smith's game-high 30 points, adding five rebounds, two steals, and an assist while going a perfect 19-for-19 at the free-throw line.
• Owen Giannoulias chipped in 15 points with four rebounds and two assists.
• Samson Zack contributed nine points, three rebounds, an assist, and a steal.
• Luke Salkowski controlled the glass with a team-best six boards to go along with two assists, two points, and a block.