LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Wittenberg Tigers will have to wait until Tuesday to see if they can pull themselves out of an early season skid that increased to three straight games Saturday night against Transylvania in a 50-45 game that saw the Tigers almost claw back from an 11-point deficit in the late minutes. With the loss, the Tigers dropped to 1-4 on the season.
With 3:15 left in the game, a pair of free throw shots from Transylvania's Tim Tierney put the Tigers down by 11. But the Red & White still had some fight left, as Kyle Bigler (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) put in a layup and a three pointer, followed by a Derrick Hannon (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) three, reducing the deficit to just three points with 25 seconds to go. But that's where the momentum stopped, as Wittenberg missed two three pointers and Transylvania went two-for-four from the free throw line in the final seconds to seal the game.
The Tigers missed opportunities around the court in the loss, including a 1-4 performance from the charity stripe in the second half. But overall, the statistics would say that Wittenberg played a better game than Transylvania, who went just 31 percent from both three-point range and in general field goals. Wittenberg held the numerical edge in both categories, shooting 38 percent on field goals, and 33 percent from long range. The difference was that Transylvania's three-point percentage came on eight-for-26 shooting while Wittenberg's came on a mark of six-for-18. Also a factor was Transy's eight-for-14 figure from the free throw line to Wittenberg's three-for-six.
The statistics were not as friendly to the Tigers in other categories, as Wittenberg had a heap of trouble controlling the ball. Telling figures include the 3/21 assist/turnover ratio, and the season low for field goals attempts at just 47. Despite holding a 42-31 advantage in rebounding, including eight from Brandan Barabino (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit), Wittenberg posted a season low 45 points on the night.
Bigler, a junior guard, dropped in his first points of the season, earning 10 on three-for-five shooting, including two-of-three from beyond the arc and two-for-two in foul shots. Junior guard Gregg Hill (Farmington Hills, Mich./Redford Union) led the Tigers in minutes, playing 31 total, and also in points, contributing 12 on solid shooting of 5-7, including two three-pointers.
Barabino ended the night with eight points to come in third on the team.
The Tigers next travel to Cedarville for a 7:30 game time against Cedarville University on Tuesday, Dec. 4.
Written by: John Strawn