MEADVILLE, Pa. - The Wittenberg University men's basketball team travelled through the snow and cold and came out red-hot on Sunday, defeating the Allegheny College Gators by an 84-54 count. The victory, Wittenberg's second straight by a wide margin after losing its first game of the season against Ohio Wesleyan on Dec. 6, improved the Tigers to 6-1 overall and 2-1 in the North Coast Athletic Conference.

Senior forward Ryan Taylor (Waynesfield, Ohio/Goshen) scored 17 straight points for the Tigers to open the game, setting the pace and opening up a 13-point lead. Allegheny never pulled within double-digits again the rest of the game.

Taylor led all scorers with 27 points in the game. The Tigers featured a great deal of balance in cruising to the victory as nine different players scored, including 13 points from sophomore forward Kevin Longley (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) and 11 from sophomore forward B.J. Harris (Stebbins, Ohio/Riverside).

Characteristically, the Tigers were bigger and stronger than their counterparts on the interior. That allowed Wittenberg to outrebound the Gators by a 54-30 margin and grab 23 caroms at the offensive end compared to Allegheny's 10.

The Tigers now enjoy a brief respite for the holidays. Their next game is Dec. 29 against Beloit College in the first round of the Wittenberg/Kiwanis Holiday Classic. Game time is 8 p.m. or approximately 30 minutes following the conclusion of the first game between Kalamazoo College and Hanover College.