Mt. Carmel, Ill. -- There is defense. And then there is defense.
After holding Danville Area to 27 first-half points on Wednesday night, Wabash Valley turned the screws even tighter in the second half.
They held the Jaguars to only 18 points in the final 20 minutes en route to a 64-45 non-conference victory, the Warriors' second straight win since an opening-night loss one week prior.
In fact, Danville (0-1) scored just six points over the final 12:21 of the contest.
"To hold any team in college to 18 points in a half is a really remarkable effort," said Warrior coach Mike Carpenter. "That's what we're most proud of tonight."
The Danville game plan to slow the pace of the game may have played right into the hands of the Warriors' defensive tenacity.
"They wanted to make it more of a possession type of game," Carpenter said. "But on the flip side, we tried to pressure them on defense, press them, trap them and speed them up.
"We switched how we handled ball screens the whole second half. That bothered them the last 10 minutes or so, when their legs were a little bit tired."
That is when the pressure began to pay dividends for the host Warriors. Ahead 41-39 at the 12:21 mark, WVC outscored the Jaguars 15-4 over the next seven minutes to take firm control of the game, up 56-43 with five minutes left.
The problems that plagued the Warriors down the stretch in their first two games were absent on this night, however. Wabash finished with eight of the game's last 10 points to cement the triumph.
Playing games on back-to-back nights meant extended playing time for some of the newcomers. Carpenter was pleased with what he saw.
One who stood out was 6-foot-9 Aarek Lamb. He sizzled during one first-half stint and had eight points and five rebounds by halftime.
Was it a premiere party for the Cincinnati freshman?
"Definitely," he said. "I wanted to show that I could come out there, make big plays and rebound the ball. And get the 'W,' that's all I cared about."
Lamb finished with 10 points.
Two other freshmen led the scoring column for the winners. Jamison Epps recorded the first double-double of the season, with 13 points and 11 rebounds. DeShaun Nettles also scored 13.
Naasir Johnson and Evan Worley were two other freshman who played for the first time this season, according to Carpenter.
Perhaps the single biggest improvement came at the foul line. After seriously sub-par outings in their first two games, the Warriors hit 12 of 16 free throws for 75 percent accuracy.
Ahmoni Weston led Danville Area with 13 points.
Carpenter rewarded his team with a needed day of rest on Thursday. Next up for the Warriors is a 5:00 p.m. Friday date at Great Rivers Athletic Conference foe Lake Land. But thanks to COVID-19 related schedule changes, the game will not count in the GRAC standings. But three days later, on Monday Feb. 1, the Warriors will officially open GRAC play at home against Shawnee at 7:30 p.m.
GAME NOTES: This game always has special meaning for Mike Carpenter, now in his eighth season as head coach at Wabash Valley… Prior to that, he spent seven years as head coach at Danville… DaJuan Gouard was Carpenter's assistant at Danville, and eventual successor. Gouard is also in his eighth season at DACC… Jamison Epps was able to have a legal family reunion at the game, COVID restrictions and all… That is because his first cousin, Tyshay Epps, is a freshman guard with the Jags, also out of Lebanon, Kentucky. Tyshay Epps scored eight points in the game.