CINCINNATI, Ohio – November 23, 2024 – Hiram College had a smooth start to the Lauren Hill Tip-Off Classic on Saturday evening, as the Terriers held their opposition below 60 points for the first time since Jan. 2022 in a 78-56 victory over Alma inside the Harrington Center on the campus of Mount St. Joseph.
The event is held annually to honor the late Lauren Hill, an inspiring woman who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain cancer in November 2013. Nearly one year later, on Nov. 2, 2014 at Xavier's Cintas Center, Hill played her first collegiate basketball game against Hiram College, scoring the first and last points of the game.
Hill was given the Pat Summitt Most Courageous Award at halftime of that special game and became an inspirational figure in her efforts to raise awareness for the brain cancer known as diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). She passed away on April 10, 2015, but forever holds a place in the hearts of the Hiram Athletics department and college basketball fans around the world.
Game Recap
Hiram never trailed by more than four points in the game, establishing its defensive presence throughout a first half that saw the opposition shoot 10-27 from the field.
Trent Jakacki and
Manuel Devora Violan combined for a 7-0 scoring run midway through the half, giving Hiram a 23-16 advantage with 9:32 remaining.
A 12-5 rally over the final 7:15 of the half carved out an 11-point advantage for Hiram heading into the intermission. Devora Violan finished with six points in the half, while Jakacki added seven points during that span.
Alma scored the first six points of the second half to cut the deficit to five points, but Hiram answered with an 8-2 run – with
Mitchell Wiechecki scoring six of those eight points – to regain a double-digit lead. That lead of 10+ points would hold for the remainder of the contest, with the team's defense continuing to hold Alma under 40% shooting from the field and the balanced contributions shining brightly from the blue and red.
In addition to Jakacki and Devora Violan,
Collin Jones (13 points),
Josh Martin (11 points) and Wiechecki (9 points) also contributed on the offensive end.
Ivan Yang added 11 rebounds and Jakacki finished with a career-high five steals to round out the notable numbers from the non-conference clash.
Hiram will play its final game of the Lauren Hill Tip-Off Classic on Sunday in another neutral matchup against Albion at 4 p.m. from the Harrington Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
