Wabash held a 13-point lead with 15:21 left to play in Tuesday night's North Coast Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament quarterfinal game against Denison. The Big Red rode the hot hand of Larry Farmer down the stretch, defeating Wabash 74-60.

Farmer led Denison with 28 points, scoring 23 in the final period by hitting all eight shot attempts from the field including three triples. The Big Red outscored Wabash 52-29 in the second half with a 48-21 advantage over the final 15 minutes of the period.

View photos from the game here.

Derek Bailey staked Wabash to an early 8-2 lead with a pair of three-pointers. The senior finished with 20 points in the final game of his career at Wabash, hitting 8-of-17 shots from the field and 4-of-10 three-point tries. The Little Giants never trailed in the first period, taking a 31-22 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Aaron Zinnerman and Bailey scored baskets early in the second half to boost the Little Giants' lead to 13. Bailey answered a Marr Mansfield hoop at the 15:21 mark to push the lead back to 13 before Denison started its charge.

Farmer scored back-to-back baskets with a triple and dunk to cut the lead to eight. Farmer scored the next 12 points in the contest, hittng a three-pointer with 11:19 left in the game to give Denison its first lead at 42-39. After a Farmer free threw, an Andy Walsh triple cut the lead to one. Dimonde Hale and Kasey Oetting traded baskets before another Big Red run — this time a 7-0 streak — to go in front 52-44. Bailey hit a three to make it a five-point contest, but Denison had an answer for every Wabash basket.

Farmer capped his scoring with a put-back basket off a missed Denison free throw attempt to give the Big Red a 64-51 lead with 2:30 remaining in the contest. Wabash would get no closer, forced to foul in the closing minutes in an attempt to stop the clock.

Denison shot 53 percent from the field for the game (25-of-47), hitting 16-of-24 shots in the final period for 66.7 percent. the Little Giants shot 23-of-61 from the field (37.7) — 12-of-30 in the first half and 11-of-31 in the second. The Big Red owned the boards, outrebounding Wabas 40-28. Denison also committed just nine turnovers compared to 11 for the Little Giants.

Along with Bailey, fellow seniors Brian Shelbourne, Nick Curosh, and Zinnerman saw a successful four years draw to a close with the loss. Zinnerman finished with 14 points, Shelbourne scored four, and Curosh had one basket while battling through a severe injury to his right arm.

Denison (13-13) advances to play Wittenberg in Springfield, Ohio on Friday in the NCAC semifinals.

The Little Giants finish the season with a record of 18-8.