It’s almost always the little things that win basketball games. But sometimes the big things matter a little more.
With a dominating performance in the paint by Wabash forwards Harrison Hallstrom and Logan White, the Little Giants rallied from a four-point halftime deficit to defeat the Franklin College men’s basketball team 71-65 Monday night.
Hallstrom, a 6-foot-7 freshman who was filling in for Wabash’s leading scorer Evan Frank, had a game-high 22 points, most of them from down low. But his biggest basket of the game was a 3-pointer with 38 seconds left to give Wabash a 66-62 lead.
In the opening half, Franklin couldn’t find the basket but played good defense to keep things close.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryWith 9:54 left in the half, the Grizzlies had only two field goals to go with a pair of free throws. Down 15-6, Franklin finally got a burst of offense from senior Aaron Mann, freshmen Braxton Day and Kale Morris.
Mann converted 6 of 6 at the free throw line to help give the Grizzlies a 31-24 halftime advantage.
Franklin junior forward John Beineke, who averages 15 points per game, sat out most of the first half with two fouls. His fortune was no better in the second half, when he picked up his third personal foul in the opening minute.
Wabash (5-5) forged a 31-31 tie on the inside play of Hallstrom and White, and that proved to be a turning point for the Little Giants.
Hallstrom scored the Little Giants’ first 11 points of the second half, starting a 19-6 run that gave Wabash a 46-37 lead with 12:57 left.
Following a much-needed timeout, the Grizzlies pulled within six points, but Hallstrom, White and freshman guard Colten Garland had the firepower to carry the Little Giants to victory.
Garland finished with 19 points and White added 16.
The Little Giants hit 28 of 62 from the floor, including four 3-pointers, three by Garland.
Meanwhile, Mann had a team-high 19 points to lead Franklin. Junior forward Brett McCory, who did an admirable job filling in for a foul-saddled Beineke, had 12 points. Guards Robbie Prather and Blake Oakley each had eight points.
Wabash won the rebounding battle 35-33.
The Grizzlies (3-5) are off until next Thursday, when they host Cornell.
