Chris Luther's 20 points helped Denison to a 62-59 road win over Washington & Jefferson

Chris Luther (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) scored a game-high 20 points and the Big Red held off a late charge by the home team which resulted in a 62-59 victory by Denison over Washington & Jefferson on Saturday afternoon from the Henry Memorial Center in Washington, Pa.

Denison never relinquished their lead throughout the contest but the Presidents kept things close.  Denison's largest lead was seven points early in the second half but a basket by W&J's Wahab Owolabi with 59 seconds remaining cut the DU lead to just one point.  Denison would miss a 3-point try on their next possession, giving the ball back to the Presidents with 16 seconds left and a chance to win the game.

W&J would run the clock down to six seconds when Brian Felker attempted a 3-point basket that was off the mark.  The rebound would be secured by freshman guard Casey Stockton (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) who was fouled with one second to play.  Stockton sank both free throws and the Presidents failed to get off a shot attempt as time expired.

The victory snaps a four-game losing skid by Denison and improves their overall record to 2-6.  Washington & Jefferson, who was 2-0 versus the North Coast Athletic Conference after wins over Wooster and Kenyon, falls to 5-4 on the year.

Luther finished the game 6-for-13 from the field and was 4-of-7 from beyond the arc.  Freshman Jim Leffew (Vero Beach, Fla./Vero Beach) followed with nine points and four rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench.  Junior guard Caleb McFerren (Zanesville, Ohio/Zanesville) contributed seven points and six rebounds for the Big Red.

Washington & Jefferson was led by Owolabi's 19 points and eight rebounds.  Eleven of his 19 points would come from the free throw line.  Felker finished with 18 points off the bench for the Presidents.

Denison shot 45 percent for the game and were edged 30-29 in the rebounding battle.  DU knocked down 7-of-14 3-point attempts and were 13-for-15 from the charity stripe.

The Big Red will take a two week break from game competition and will return to the hardwood on Dec. 29 when they take on Salem State in Salem, Mass.

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