On Nov. 20, in the final game of the Little Giant Tip-Off Classic on its home court in Crawfordsville, Ind., the Wabash College men's basketball team destroyed Franklin College, 96-55. The Little Giants continued to roll thereafter, and going into Wednesday's rematch with the Grizzlies at the Spurlock Center in Franklin, they were 11-0 and ranked eighth in the latest D3hoops.com poll of small school basketball teams.
In Wednesday's rematch, the Grizzlies gave Wabash everything they had, rallying from an early 30-13 deficit to eventually grab the lead on several occasions in the second half. But the Little Giants hung on to win, 77-74, improving their record to 12-0. Franklin dropped to 4-8. The Little Giants' Derek Bailey (red jersey No. 41) iced the win by sinking two critical free throws near the end of the game. Teammate Wes Smith (#21) led all scorers with 23 points; freshman Bailey Howard (#20) led the Grizzlies with 22 points.
A week down the road, the Little Giants will face top-ranked Wooster (Ohio) College at home in what should be a very interesting game. These images are from Wednesday night's game at Franklin. To review a full gallery of photos from the game, click on this link: Franklin-Wabash basketball.
