GAMBIER, Ohio — Few expected Wittenberg to lose on Saturday, but no one expected Kenyon to play like it was the end of the century, either. The Tigers dropped a 64-51 decision to the Kenyon Lords in the last regular season game of the year for both teams, breaking a 21-game win streak for Wittenberg in the series between the two teams, dating back to 1994.
The Red & White drop to 16-9 overall and 12-4 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) standings with the loss, allowing Ohio Wesleyan the chance to move up to number two in the league standings with a win over Allegheny.
Junior guard Gregg Hill (Farmington Hills, Mich./Redford Union) led the Tigers with 15 points in the loss, though it came on 6-of-20 shooting from the field, part of a season-low team field goal percentage of just 29%. That figure includes 7-of-22 three-pointers and 17-of-58 overall field goals. Hill was unable to connect on any of his six three-point attempts.
Junior wing Kevin Murray (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) hoisted just six field goal attempts on the night, landing three, of which all were three-pointers. He only attempted one shot from within the three-point line. Senior wing Brandan Barabino (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) was the only Tiger besides Hill to break into double-figures in the scoring column, notching 10 points on 2-of-6 shooting from the field, also only hitting three-pointers, and a 4-of-4 performance from the free-throw line. In fact, the charity stripe was the only place on the floor the Tigers could hit from, staying consistent with a 10-of-13 overall performance.
The Tigers will still host on Tuesday in a 6 p.m. NCAC quarterfinal matchup. The Tigers will square off against sixth-seeded Allegheny, a team they defeated twice during the regular season.
Written by: John Strawn