HIRAM, Ohio - February 15, 2025 - Hiram gave the No. 20 team in Division III all it could handle, but a late run from the visiting Denison Big Red led to a 77-64 loss on Saturday afternoon at Price Gymnasium.

The Terriers led by as many as 6 points in the second half against a team that entered play with a 20-2 overall record and just one loss in conference play. Both defenses tightened up throughout the second half, while tensions rose and fans from both sides stood up and cheered on a hard-fought NCAC battle.

Despite holding the Big Red to a 38% FG pct (11-29) in the second half, Hiram couldn't get over the hump once Denison regained a 55-50 lead with 9:01 remaining. The road team finished the game on a 27-14 run over the final 10 minutes of the contest to keep its No. 1 spot in the NCAC standings.

Hiram honored seniors Trent Jakacki and Ivan Yang prior to the game, a pair of student-athletes who have thrived both on the court and in the classroom. Jakacki was an All-NCAC Third Team selection, CSC Academic All-District honoree and the 30th member of the 1,000-point club in Hiram history; Yang was Hiram's 2022-23 NCAC Scholar Athlete Award winner and also a CSC Academic All-District Honoree.

The veteran duo rose to the moment, too, with Jakacki filling the stat sheet for 13 points, three rebounds, three assists, one block and two steals. Yang added 10 points, six rebounds and two blocks as the team's vocal leader in the frontcourt.

Brock Makrancy tied Jakacki for the team lead with 13 points, which included a 5-point burst to start the second half and make it a one-possession game. The junior now has as many double-digit points performances in his last five games (four) as he does for the rest of the season.

Denison entered play as the No. 20 team in the country, according to D3Hoops.com. The Big Red were led by Trevor Reed, who had a game-high 21 points in the post.

Hiram will finish the 2024-25 season with a trip to Springfield, OH for one last NCAC battle with Wittenberg; tip-off is slated for a 4 p.m. start inside Pam Smith Evans Arena.