Ohio Wesleyan 77, Wabash 53

Jan. 29, 2003

Sophomore forward Brandon Cole (Sidney) scored 10 points and junior center Charlie Smith (Centerburg) added 8 as Ohio Wesleyan ended the first half with a 28-7 run and held off a Wabash comeback in the second half to take a North Coast Athletic Conference win over the Little Giants on Wednesday in Branch Rickey Arena.

The opening moments of the game lived up to expectations, with 8 lead changes and 2 ties. On only one occasion did a team score twice in a row, that coming when junior center Travis Schwab (Medina) hit a 3-pointer and a lay-in to turn a 10-7 Wabash lead into a 12-10 Ohio Wesleyan advantage.

Wabash had taken an 18-17 lead on a layup by Eric Buck with 9:57 left in the first half but went ice-cold after that. The Bishop defense held the Little Giants to only 2 baskets during the next 8-plus minutes of action.

Meanwhile, Ohio Wesleyan took the lead on a pair of Cole free throws and padded the margin to 22-18 on a Cole 3-pointer. Wabash answered with a jumper by Joe DesJean, but the Bishops countered with a 9-0 run fueled by Schwab's jumper and 3-point play. Wabash finally scored on a follow shot by Chris Waters, closing to within 31-22 with 4:25 left, but Ohio Wesleyan answered with a 10-0 run that saw Cole bury a pair of 3-pointers. The first half ended with Ohio Wesleyan holding a 45-25 lead.

The Little Giants made their move in the second half. Trailing, 56-38, with 11:24 on the clock, Wabash turned to Buck. In rapid succession, he sank a jump hook from the paint and hit 2 free throws. After a pair of Ryan Short free throws, Buck was left open at the top of the key and threw in a 3-pointer that closed the gap to 56-47 with 8:40 left in regulation time.

But once again, the Ohio Wesleyan defense stepped up and held Wabash without a basket until DesJean's lay-in with 1:21 to play. Freshman guard Ross Rybarczyk (Oberlin/Elyria Catholic) scored 5 points during a 9-0 burst that padded the Bishop lead to 67-48, then scored 4 more points during a 10-2 burst to end the game.

Schwab led the Bishops with 24 points and 11 rebounds, while Smith finished with 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Cole finished with 15 points and shared the team lead with 5 assists, and Rybarczyk added 11 points and shared the team lead with 5 assists.

Buck led Wabash with 21 points, the only Little Giant to reach double figures. Ryan Short had a team-high 9 rebounds and DesJean led Wabash with 2 assists.

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