Ohio Wesleyan junior guard Henry Hinkle scored 15 straight points to help the his team build a first-half lead it parlayed into a 98-90 North Coast Athletic Conference win over visiting Hiram Wednesday night at Branch Rickey Arena.

Hinkle, a former Olentangy Liberty standout, finished with a game-best 33 points, including 15 of his team’s first 20 in a game the Bishops had to have. The win, which bumped OWU’s record to 2-7 overall and 1-2 in conference play, snapped a five-game losing streak.

Manuel Devora Violan sliced through the paint for a layin to give the Terriers (1-7, 0-2) a 6-5 lead about four minutes into the first half, but Hinkle and company went to work after that.

Hinkle answered with a layin on the other end, giving the Bishops a lead they never relinquished the rest of the way. He extended the lead with a jumper and capped a personal 12-0 run with a three-pointer and a three-point play the hard way.

Hiram’s Galdan Batzorig briefly stopped the bleeding with a free throw before Hinkle casually answered at the other end with another three-pointer, this time off a feed from Tony Carter to balloon the lead to 20-7 with 12:53 left in the half.

Ohio Wesleyan led by as much as 20 when Isaac Ward sank a free throw to make it a 37-17 game with 6:03 left in the first half.

The Terriers battled back, getting within single digits in the final minute, but couldn’t complete the comeback despite big nights from Trent Jakacki (29 points) and Devora Violan (22 points).

David Rice and Ward backed Hinkle with 24 and 12 points, respectively.

Ohio Wesleyan is slated to return to action Saturday against host Denison. Tip is set for 3 p.m. in Granville.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Ohio Wesleyan poured in 27 first-quarter points and never looked back, turning the fast start into a lopsided 85-55 non-league win over visiting Lake Erie Tuesday night at Branch Rickey Arena.

Lauren Denison was as big a part of the start as anyone, scoring eight of her season-best 24 points in the opening quarter. She broke the scoring seal with a three-pointer, sparking an 18-3 game-opening run — a spree which included a pair of Alyssa Griner hoops, back-to-back buckets by Karlee Ross a triple by Elizabeth Homan and a hoop and a pair of free throws from Macy Miller.

Ohio Wesleyan (5-2) had a 19-point lead after one, 27-8, and outscored Lake Erie (1-4) 19-13 in the second to take a commanding 46-21 lead into halftime. The Bishops won the third 22-15 before a 19-17 fourth smoothed out the scoring summary.

Denison made six threes on the way to the 24-point night. She also had four assists and a pair of rebounds in the win. Other standouts included Kasey Schipfer, who finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and three steals; and Miller, who closed with 12 points and seven boards.

Kylie Maxwell and Anna Ibos both scored in double figures for Lake Erie, closing with 13 and 11 points, respectively.

Next up, Ohio Wesleyan will turn its attention to the Cruzin Classic — a holiday tournament in Florida in which it will play Eastern Connecticut State Dec. 17 and Sarah Lawrence Dec. 18.