HIRAM, Ohio - February 1, 2020 – Hiram Terriers men's basketball held off a late charge to defeat the Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops, 73-63, on Saturday at Price Gymnasium.

Austin Blatt got the Terriers on the board first with a layup, before the Battling Bishops answered with back-to-back threes to take a 6-2 lead, their largest and only lead of the game.

Tyler McMillion answered Jack Clement's three-pointer with one of his own before Antonio McQueen converted a layup to give the Terriers a lead they'd never relinquish.

With the Terriers up by one, 9-8 with 15:48 to play, Hiram held the Battling Bishops scoreless of the next 5:25, using a 12-0 run to take a 21-8 lead. Gordon knocked down to threes and scored eight unanswered to help key the run, while Sherman Dean III added four points, connecting on one of his two three-pointers on the day.

A pair of free throws from Ethan Stanislawski free slows with 10:23 left in the first ended OWU's scoring drought, but Hiram then rattled 15 straight points, holding OWU scoreless for another five minutes to take their largest lead of the game, 36-10 with 5:16 remaining in the half.

The Battling Bishops would cut Hiram's lead down to 16 with just 42 seconds remaining, but Sherman Cox beat the buzzer with a three-pointer from the top of the key, sending the Terriers into the locker room up 43-24.

McMillion led the Terriers with 11 first-half points, while Dean III added nine.

In the first half, Hiram held OWU to just 22.2 percent shooting and 19.0 percent from beyond the arc.

Hiram extended their lead back to 20 early on in the second half, with Dean III's dunk giving Hiram a 51-31 lead with just over 17 minutes to play. But OWU would slowly cut into the Terriers' lead, making it a 16-point game with 12:46 left on Nick Carlson's three-pointer.

The Battling Bishops further cut into Hiram's lead as they started to find their range, and with a Bryson Lane jumper, Hiram's lead was down to 10, 62-52, with 6:08 remaining.

OWU got as close as five points down the stretch on Lane's layup, but Kevin Beans Jr. knocked down a three on the other end, and Gordon hit a jump shot after a crucial stop, bringing Hiram's lead back out to 10 with 2:19 to play.

Ohio Wesleyan again made things close, pulling within six with 1:09 left, but the Dean III and Cox hit their free throws down the stretch to seal the 73-63 victory.

Hiram moves to 6-13 (3-9 NCAC) with the win, while Ohio Wesleyan drops to 11-8 (6-6 NCAC) with the loss.

Dean III led the Terriers with 15 points, while McQueen added 14, McMillion 13 and Gordon 10. McMillion recorded his third double-double, adding a team-high 10 rebounds, while Blatt and Gordon each notched a team-high three assists.

After holding OWU to 22.2 percent shooting in the first half, the Battling Bishops shot 43.2 percent in the second half, but just 21.1 percent from three. In total, the Terriers held OWU to just 20.0 percent (8-for-40) from beyond the arc.

Offensively, Hiram shot 47.5 percent from the floor and 38.1 percent from beyond the arc, equaling the Battling Bishops eight made three-pointers, but on 19 fewer attempts.

The Terriers will be back in action on Friday, Feb. 7 when they travel to Greencastle, Ind. to kick off a two-game road trip against the DePauw Tigers at 6:00 p.m. at Neal Fieldhouse.