Wabash struggled early but shook off a feisty Millikin University baskeball team Tuesday night at Chadwick Court. The Little Giants won 58-43 to improve to 7-0 for the season.

The Little Giants were tied with Millikin 41-41 with 6:14 left to play before going on a 17-2 run to close out the game.

Millikin entered the contest with an 0-6 record, but played like anything but a winless basketball team. Brock Von Nordeck provided a solid inside presence, scoring 16 points to lead the Big Blue offense. Guard Rodney Clark added 11 points, and Matt Merrigan had eight.

The difference for Wabash came from outside. Millikin hit 19-of-46 shot attempts compared to 17-of-48 for the Little Giants, but Wabash connected on nine three-point shots while the Big Blue managed to hit only 1-of-5 shot attempts from three-point range. Aaron Zinnerman hit 3-of-5 from outside the arc, while Derek Bailey was 2-for-4. Bailey finished with a game-high 18 points, while Zinnerman added 13. Zinnerman led Wabash with seven rebounds.

Freshman Kasey Oetting also reached double figures in scoring with 13 points. He was 3-for-5 from behind the arc.

Wabash trailed by as many as six points on two different occasions in the opening period before taking its first lead of the game at 17-16 on a Bailey layup at 3:54. The Big Blue retook the lead, but two free throws by Zinnerman drew Wabash even at 20-20 with a minute left in the half. Zinnerman added a three-point-basket in the closing seconds of the period to give the Little Giants a 23-20 halftime edge.

Wabash stretched its advantage to 11 points in the first seven minutes of the final half, only to have Millikin respond with a 13-2 run over the next seven minutes to tie the game at 41-41. Zinnerman broke the tie with another trey to spark the final run for Wabash, keying the victory.

The Little Giants — ranked 25th in the latest D3hoops.com poll — return to action Saturday with a key North Coast Athletic Conference game at 2 p.m. against the fifth-ranked College of Wooster Fighting Scots. Last season the two teams were undefeated and nationally-ranked heading into the game in Crawfordsville. Wooster came away with a 67-65 victory. Wabash returned the favor later in the season, knocking off the Scots 69-68 in overtime on the road.