Deric Cannady buried a 3-pointer as time expired to lift Wabash College to a thrilling 59-58 victory over Anderson University Wednesday evening in the Little Giants’ 2026-27 basketball home opener at Chadwick Court. The victory marked the 200th career win for Wabash head coach Kyle Brumett, while Isaac Rivas recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.
Wabash (1-1) appeared headed for defeat after surrendering a nine-point lead in the final 2:38. Anderson (0-3) scored 11 unanswered points, capped by two Bryce Williams free throws with seven seconds remaining that gave the Ravens a 58-56 advantage. Cannady raced up the court and connected on a turn-around 3-pointer from the top-left side of the arc at the buzzer to secure the one-point victory and Brumett’s milestone win.
Brumett reached the 200-win mark as head coach of the Little Giants with Wednesday’s victory, adding another milestone to his tenure leading the Wabash basketball program.
Rivas finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots for his first career double-double. His 12 rebounds doubled his previous career high of six. Keegan Manowitz matched Rivas with a team-high 12 points, including 10 in the second half. Cannady added eight points and two 3-pointers, while Colton Stowers grabbed a career-high nine rebounds and handed out three assists.
Wabash overcame a sluggish start after Anderson scored the game’s first 12 points in less than four minutes. Nate Matelic ended the Little Giants’ scoring drought with a jumper at the 15:41 mark, then followed with a dunk to cut the deficit to eight.
The Ravens extended their advantage to 17-8 before Wabash responded with an 11-0 run. Wes Aigner started the rally with two free throws, and Cam Fennell connected on consecutive 3-pointers to bring the Little Giants within one point. Cannady completed the comeback with a 3-pointer at the 8:07 mark to give Wabash its first lead at 19-17.
Anderson tied the game at 19 before Stowers scored on a layup and Tony Bos III buried a transition 3-pointer to put Wabash ahead 24-19. Manowitz added a basket, and Rivas scored twice in the closing two minutes to give the Little Giants a 31-26 advantage.
Aigner converted a layup with 39 seconds remaining, but Williams made three free throws with eight seconds left to trim the Wabash lead to 33-32 at halftime.
Anderson opened the second period with six unanswered points to regain a 38-33 lead. Wabash answered with a 10-0 run while holding the Ravens scoreless on 11 consecutive possessions. Cannady started the rally with a layup before Manowitz tied the game at 38 with a driving basket.
Manowitz followed with a 3-pointer to give Wabash a 41-38 lead, and Rivas added two free throws to extend the advantage to five points with 12:23 remaining.
Anderson rallied to tie the game at 43 on a three-point play by Rob Davidson. Manowitz took over the Wabash offense, scoring eight consecutive Little Giants points during a stretch that included two free throws and a 3-pointer with 8:37 remaining to give Wabash a 48-45 lead.
Davidson answered with two free throws to pull Anderson within one, but Rivas sparked another Wabash scoring run. The Little Giants’ center scored six consecutive points on a tip-in, a layup and another putback basket. Bos III and Stowers added free throws to complete an 8-0 run that gave Wabash its largest lead of the game at 56-47 with 2:38 remaining.
The Ravens mounted one final comeback, beginning with a Williams layup and two free throws. Nolan Swan followed with a layup to cut the deficit to three points before Davidson converted a three-point play with 50 seconds remaining to tie the game at 56.
After a Wabash turnover, Anderson regained possession and Williams drew a foul with seven seconds remaining. He converted both free throws to put the Ravens ahead 58-56, setting up Cannady’s game-winning shot.
Wabash controlled the boards throughout the contest, outrebounding Anderson 50-31. The Little Giants collected 15 offensive rebounds and scored 12 second-chance points. Wabash held a 26-13 rebounding advantage in the second half, with Rivas collecting eight rebounds and scoring eight points after halftime.
The Little Giants shot 36.2% from the field (21 of 58) and connected on seven of 19 attempts from 3-point range. Wabash limited Anderson to 31.7% shooting (19 of 60), including just four makes in 28 attempts from beyond the arc. The Ravens missed all 12 of their second-half 3-point attempts.
Anderson forced 21 Wabash turnovers and converted those opportunities into 16 points. The Little Giants countered with five blocked shots and held the Ravens to 26 second-half points.
Williams led Anderson with 21 points, six rebounds and five steals. Davidson finished with 15 points and three assists, while Randy Smith added 11 points and six rebounds.
Fennell scored seven points for Wabash, including two first-half 3-pointers that helped erase the early deficit. Stowers finished with five points, nine rebounds and three assists, while Matelic and Bos III added four points apiece.
Wabash returns to Chadwick Court on Friday for a 7 p.m. non-conference contest against Hanover College.
