SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Less than five minutes into Wednesday's game against visiting Wabash, the Wittenberg Tigers held a commanding 15-2 lead after hitting their first six shots from the field. While the outcome wasn't necessarily decided at that point, the finest defensive outfit in all of NCAA Division III men's basketball took care of things from there, cruising to a 63-48 victory.
Wabash became the 11th straight Tiger opponent to score less than 60 points. Not coincidentally, Wittenberg has won all 11 of those games, dating back to an 86-83 loss at Wooster on Dec. 10. The Tigers, ranked first in the nation for a second straight week, improved to 17-1 overall and 8-1 in the North Coast Athletic Conference with the win.
The Tigers' lead stretched to as much as 16 points in the first half before setting in at 32-21 by halftime. In the final 20 minutes, the lead was in double figures throughout, reaching a high of 21 on a three-pointer by freshman guard Gregg Hill at the 4:27 mark of the second half.
Wittenberg was led by senior post Daniel Russ, who topped all scorers with 17 points in the game. Senior wing Kenny Brady added 10 points and six rebounds, while senior post Dane Borchers chipped in with eight points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists. The Tigers shot nearly 48 percent from the field, including an outstanding 8-of-17 from three-point range.
Wabash was led by Kyle Medeiros and Adonis Joseph with 14 points apiece off the bench. The Little Giants held their own on the boards against Wittenberg, one of the top rebounding teams in the nation. Wabash held a 15-12 rebounding advantage at halftime, but the Tigers owned the glass in the final 20 minutes, finishing with a seven-rebound advantage. Both teams committed 11 turnovers.
Wabash dropped to 11-7 overall and 5-4 in the conference. The Tigers hit the road for their next two games - at Denison on Saturday and at Earlham on Feb. 1 - before returning home for a potential No. 1 vs. No. 2 in the nation match-up with NCAC-leading Wooster on Feb. 4.