Keegan Manowitz scored a career-high 24 points, and Wabash College used a strong first-half performance before holding off a second-half rally by Hanover College to earn a 72-63 victory Friday evening at Chadwick Court. The Little Giants improved to 2-1 overall and remained unbeaten at home with their second consecutive victory.
Manowitz surpassed his previous career high of 16 points, set in the season opener at Rose-Hulman, by connecting on 7 of 12 shots from the field, including three 3-pointers, and making 7 of 9 free throws. Deric Cannady added 15 points and a career-high four steals, while Cam Fennell scored a season-high 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including three 3-pointers. Isaac Rivas grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, reaching double figures on the boards for the second consecutive game.
Wabash took control early with a 13-0 scoring run that turned a 4-3 deficit into a 16-4 advantage less than six minutes into the contest. The Little Giants forced three turnovers during the stretch and held Hanover (0-2) scoreless for more than five minutes. Cannady, Manowitz and Tony Bos III each connected from 3-point range during the run.
Hanover ended its scoring drought on a Quentin Hesse layup with 13:50 remaining in the opening period, but Wabash continued to build its advantage. Fennell connected on his second 3-pointer of the half before Cannady turned a steal into a fast-break dunk. Wes Aigner added a pair of baskets, including a layup with 6:46 remaining that gave Wabash its largest lead of the game at 33-15.
The Panthers responded with an 11-2 run, getting 3-pointers from Jack Miller and Jace Jenkins to trim the Wabash advantage to 35-26 with 2:04 left in the half. Cannady answered with two free throws before collecting an offensive rebound and hitting a jumper at the buzzer to send the Little Giants into the locker room with a 39-28 lead.
Wabash shot 53.3 percent from the field in the opening period, connecting on 16 of 30 attempts and 5 of 10 shots from beyond the arc. The Little Giants forced eight Hanover turnovers and converted them into 10 points while committing only five turnovers.
Hanover opened the second half with a barrage of 3-pointers to erase nearly the entire Wabash advantage. Lane Pendleton connected on three shots from beyond the arc, while William Herald added another during a 12-2 Panthers run that cut the Little Giants’ lead to 41-40 with 16:31 remaining.
Fennell halted the rally with a 3-pointer off an assist from Manowitz, who followed by scoring Wabash’s next 10 points. Manowitz connected on two 3-pointers and added a pair of layups during the stretch, helping the Little Giants maintain a 54-50 advantage with 11:25 remaining.
Hanover continued to challenge, pulling within two points at 54-52 before Colton Stowers provided a spark off the Wabash bench. Stowers scored six consecutive points for the Little Giants on three baskets in the paint. Cannady followed with his fourth steal of the evening and converted a fast-break layup to extend the Wabash lead to 62-54 with 6:33 left to play.
The Panthers made one final push, scoring five consecutive points to cut the deficit to 62-59 with 5:51 remaining. Manowitz made a free throw, and Aigner added a basket in the paint to restore a six-point advantage. After Gavin Keller scored for Hanover to make it 65-61 with 3:23 left, Cannady connected on a jumper with 2:02 remaining to push the Wabash lead back to six.
The Little Giants protected their advantage down the stretch with solid defense and free-throw shooting. Aigner and Rivas collected key defensive rebounds, while Fennell and Manowitz combined to make five free throws in the final 39 seconds to secure the nine-point victory.
Wabash finished 27 of 60 from the field (45 percent) and 8 of 21 from 3-point range (38.1 percent). The Little Giants committed just six turnovers, including only one in the second half, while forcing 12 Hanover miscues and converting them into 14 points. Wabash also recorded eight steals, scored 32 points in the paint and held a 12-9 advantage in fast-break points.
Cannady finished with three rebounds and two assists in addition to his 15 points and four steals. Fennell’s three 3-pointers matched Manowitz for the team lead. Aigner contributed six points, a season-high six rebounds and three assists, while Stowers scored eight points off the bench. Bos III added three points and a season-high two blocked shots.
Pendleton and CJ Walls led Hanover with 14 points apiece. Pendleton made three 3-pointers, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked two shots, while Walls added six rebounds and three assists. Keller finished with 11 points and six rebounds.
The Little Giants return to Chadwick Court on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. nonconference contest against Millikin University.
