Wabash extended its winning streak to six games by handing Transylvania University a 76-53 loss at Chadwick Court on Monday. The victory was the second by the Little Giants in eight days against the Pioneers after winning the Don Lane Classic hosted by Transylvania before Christmas.
Wabash improved to 7-4 with the win. Transylvania dropped to 6-5.
The Little Giants had three players score in double figures, led by Nate Matelic, who had a career-high 20 points and seven rebounds. Robert Sorensen tacked on 16 points and two steals off the bench, and Vinny Buccilla chipped in 16 points and two steals.
The Wabash offense was impressive from deep, pouring in nine threes on 25 attempts. Sorensen hit four treys for the Little Giants in the contest.
The Wabash defense was effective at taking away the basketball, forcing 16 Transylvania turnovers. Those takeaways turned into 20 points on the other end of the floor. Noah Hupmann’s three steals led the way individually for the Little Giants.
Wabash recorded 20 of its 37 points in the paint.
How It Happened
The two teams got off to a slow start offensively, with Transylvania taking a 7-4 lead with 12:52 on the first-half game clock. Sorensen evened the score with his first three-pointer of the game, then provided a two-point Wabash lead with a fast break layup on the next possession for the Little Giants. Randy Kelley pushed the advantage to 12-7 with another three-pointer. Sorensen followed with his second triple for an 11-0 run. Gavin Shippert added a free throw to complete a 12-0 run to put Wabash in front 16-7.
The visiting Pioneers closed to within three points with consecutive three-point baskets. It was as close as Wabash would allow Transylvania to get. Matelic, Buccilla, and Rich Brooks expanded the lead to ten points, with Matelic accounting for seven points over five minutes to push the lead to 30-20. Wabash went on a 12-0 run with 3:27 left in the first half to increase its lead to 37-20 before taking a 39-23 advantage to the locker room at halftime. Wabash relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down six shots from long range to account for 18 of its 39 points.
Wabash kept its double-digit lead intact before going on a 7-0 run, finished off by Sorensen’s three, to grow the lead to 51-31 with 14:47 to go in the contest. The Little Giants lead by as many as 28 points with 3:55 remaining in the game before closing with a 23-point victory.
Wabash opens the 2025 portion of its schedule on Saturday with a 2 p.m. home game against Washington University - St. Louis. The Bears come to Chadwick Court ranked second in the latest D3hoops.com top-25 poll.
Game Notes
• Wabash lit it up from three-point range, knocking down nine treys in the game.
• The Little Giants held the Pioneers to only 30 percent shooting from the field.
• Wabash never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
• The Wabash bench made an impact by scoring 45 points.
• Nate Matelic and Robert Sorensen came off the bench to score 20 and 16 points, respectively.
• The Wabash defense forced 16 turnovers.
• Wabash cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 15 offensive boards in the game, leading to 17 second-chance points.
• Wabash got a team-high eight rebounds from Gavin Schippert.
