TERRE HAUTE — Wabash College built a 14-point first-half lead and held a 12-point advantage early in the second half before Rose-Hulman rallied for a 90-82 victory over the Little Giants in Saturday afternoon’s men’s basketball season opener at Hulbert Arena.
Sophomore Deric Cannady led Wabash (0-1) with a career-high 19 points, while senior Keegan Manowitz added a career-best 16. Junior Wes Aigner scored 15 points in his Wabash debut. The Little Giants connected on 10 three-point baskets but were outscored 56-47 in the second half by the Fightin’ Engineers (1-0).
Wabash opened the game with a 14-0 run over the first 2:20, connecting on four three-pointers. Manowitz hit consecutive long-range shots before Isaac Rivas and Aigner added three-pointers. Aigner also scored on a layup following a steal during the early run.
Rose-Hulman gradually erased the deficit and took its first lead at 28-27 with 4:49 remaining in the half. Wabash regained the advantage on a Cannady putback and a jumper from Nate Matelic. The teams traded leads in the closing minutes before Manowitz scored inside with six seconds remaining to give the Little Giants a 35-34 halftime advantage.
Wabash continued its strong outside shooting to open the second half. Cannady connected on two three-pointers, while freshman Cam Fennell and Aigner each added one as the Little Giants built a 51-40 lead with 15:14 remaining. Matelic followed with a three-point play to give Wabash its largest second-half advantage at 54-42.
The Little Giants maintained an 11-point lead at 59-48 following a Colton Stowers three-pointer with 12:17 left to play. Rose-Hulman responded with a 10-1 run to cut the deficit to two points before Aigner scored inside to put Wabash ahead 62-58.
The Fightin’ Engineers scored the next six points to take a 64-62 lead with 6:06 remaining. Wabash stayed within two points at 68-66 on a Manowitz layup with 4:20 left, but Rose-Hulman answered with five consecutive points to extend its advantage.
Stowers scored on a layup to bring Wabash within four points at 73-69 with 2:56 remaining. Rose-Hulman responded with a 6-0 run to build a 10-point lead and held off the Little Giants down the stretch.
Cannady scored 10 points in the final 44 seconds, including a three-pointer with 30 seconds remaining that trimmed the deficit to 86-80. The Fightin’ Engineers converted four free throws in the final 26 seconds to secure the victory.
Cannady finished 4-of-7 from the field, including 3-of-4 from three-point range, and converted 8-of-9 free throws. The sophomore guard also collected four rebounds, three assists and a team-high three steals. He scored 17 of his career-high 19 points in the second half.
Manowitz made five field goals, including two three-pointers, and added five rebounds and three assists to his career-high 16 points. Aigner connected on six field goals, including two three-pointers, and finished with three rebounds and three assists without committing a turnover.
Matelic and Stowers each scored nine points, with Matelic adding two blocked shots. Rivas finished with five points and a team-high six rebounds.
Wabash shot 47.4 percent from the field (27-of-57) and 47.6 percent from three-point range (10-of-21). The Little Giants recorded 15 assists on their 27 field goals and converted 18-of-26 free throws.
Rose-Hulman finished with a 39-34 rebounding advantage and outscored Wabash 50-30 in the paint and 21-8 on second-chance opportunities. The Fightin’ Engineers committed only five turnovers compared to 12 for the Little Giants and converted 25-of-31 free throws.
Evan Gentile led Rose-Hulman with 16 points, including 13 in the second half. Nate Smith added 13 points, while Jack Jenniges finished with 12 points and seven rebounds. Christian Torres scored all 11 of his points in the second half.
Wabash returns to action Wednesday for its home opener against Anderson University. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Chadwick Court in Crawfordsville.
