GRANVILLE, Ohio — Denison Men's Basketball protected its home floor on Wednesday evening inside Livingston Gymnasium, pulling away in the second half to defeat Wabash, 91–84. The Big Red used a strong final 20 minutes and balanced scoring to improve to 14–6 overall and 9–2 in NCAC play while handing the Little Giants a key conference loss.
First Half: Denison and Wabash traded leads throughout a tightly contested first half, with neither side able to create much separation early. The Little Giants used a pair of three-pointers and transition buckets to grab a brief six-point edge midway through the period, but the Big Red responded with energy off the bench, highlighted by baskets from
Kellon Smith inside and a key triple from
Ellis Appiah to swing the momentum. Denison closed the half on a late push, turning defense into offense and capitalizing at the free-throw line.
Aidan King knocked down a three and added two free throws, and
Nick Heath scored in the paint in the final seconds to send the Big Red into the locker room with a slim 41–40 lead.
Second Half: Denison carried its one-point halftime edge into a back-and-forth start to the second half, answering every Wabash basket with shots of Big Red's own. Heath and
Owen Giannoulias sparked the early push with mid-range scores, while
Liam Taylor converted in transition and at the line to help the Big Red maintain a narrow lead as the teams traded possessions. Midway through the period, Denison finally found some breathing room with a key runs with stops and shot-making. Threes from
Samson Zack, Heath, and Appiah pushed the lead into double digits, and extra effort on the boards turned into second-chance buckets that kept the momentum on the Big Red's side.Wabash chipped away late, but the Big Red stayed composed at the line, knocking down free throws in the final minutes to secure the 91–84 victory.
Key Performers:
- Nick Heath led the way with a game-high 16 points on an efficient 7-of-8 shooting, adding two steals and two rebounds.
- Ellis Appiah matched him with 16 points, knocking down both three-point attempts and going a perfect 6-for-6 at the line while contributing two rebounds and a steal.
- Kellon Smith chipped in 14 points and four rebounds while hitting all six free throws.
- Liam Taylor added 14 points of his own on 5-of-8 shooting, plus three assists and 4-for-4 from the line.
- Aidan King rounded out the group with 14 points, two threes, and a team-high five rebounds to help Denison control the glass.
