SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Wittenberg rode a wave of quality shooting to a 71-58 win over Olivet in the second game of the men's Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Classic on Friday night. Junior Gregg Hill (Farmington Hills, Mich./Redford Union) lit up the Comets on 53 percent shooting, including 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the three-point arc and a 5-of-6 performance from the free throw line, giving him the game high in points at 23.
Joining Hill in the category of strong shooting performances were senior Brandan Barabino (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) and junior Jeromy Romero (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes). Barabino was 5-of-10 from the field with a three pointer and a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe to end up with 17 points. Romero contributed from the free throw line, hitting all seven of his free throw shots, while adding six rebounds.
Junior Kevin Murray (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) led the Tigers in rebounds with nine, followed by Brandon White (Columbus. Ohio/Bexley) who rose up for eight.
The Tigers shot just 36 percent from the field in the first half, but improved in the second half to 43 percent on their way to 40 percent shooting for the night. In a phenomenal all-around performance, the Tigers hit an unbelievable 95 percent of their free throws at 18-of-19. That stands in stark contrast to Olivet's 3-for-4 outing.
Wittenberg posted stiff defense against the Comets, but failed to stop the potent McClary brothers (Brandon and Michael), who combined to go 12-of-23 from the field. The rest of the Olivet squad went 14-for-46. As a team the Comets were 3-for-22 from three point territory.
The win allows the Tigers to advance to the championship game tomorrow, slated to tip-off at 7:45 p.m., where they will play the winners of the day's previous matchup, University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse. Olivet will play Marian in the consolation matchup, which is scheduled to begin at 2:45 p.m.
Written By: John Strawn