GRANVILLE, Ohio - January 18, 2025 – Hiram produced a strong second half against one of the best teams in all of Division III on Saturday afternoon at Livingston Gymnasium, as the Terriers were outscored by just 6 points over the final 20 minutes against No. 19 Denison in a 90-67 loss.

The Terriers bounced back strong from a first half that saw the Big Red score 52 points, with the team's defense decreasing the opposing FG pct from 56% in the first half to just 44% in the second half. That defensive intensity is the same formula that earned HIram its first conference win of the year this past Wednesday at Oberlin.

Even though the efforts fell short at the final buzzer, Hiram had four different student-athletes record a double-digit point total in the conference affair: Trent Jakacki (13), Ivan Yang (11), Jaden Hameed (13) and Collin Jones (15).

Denison won the game behind its 3-point shooting (13 made 3s) and its ability to draw contact and make free throws (17 made free throws). The Big Red got a game-high 20 points from Scotty Dean off their bench, which included 6 3-pointers.

Hiram turned a 52-35 halftime deficit into just a 13-point margin thanks to a 4-0 run to start the second half. The Terriers also turned that early momentum around thanks to its rebounding, with the road team outrebounding its opposition, 18-16, throughout the second half.

The Big Red regained the form that has made them a top-20 team in the nation, according to D3Hoops.com, particularly in scoring off of Hiram turnovers. Denison had 18 points off turnovers in the final 20 minutes to keep its perfect home record (7-0) alive.

Hiram will get six days away from competition before another conference matchup; the Terriers will host the Little Giants of Wabash on Saturday at 1 p.m. inside Price Gymnasium.