OBERLIN, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers opened the 2009 calendar year with a solid road win, picking up a 68-49 victory over North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) rival Oberlin.
The Tigers improved to 5-6 overall and 2-1 in the NCAC with the win, their fourth in the last six games. Wittenberg's two losses in that span have come by a combined five points. Oberlin, which hadn't played a game since Dec. 12, dropped to 2-8 overall and 0-3 in the NCAC while losing to Wittenberg for the 40th consecutive time.
Wittenberg shot well from the field in the game, especially from three-point range, as the Tigers finished with percentages of 56.3 overall and 44.4 from long distance, both season-highs. Oddly, the Tigers couldn't find the range from the free throw line as they made just 6-of-17 shots.
The Tigers' offensive leader was senior wing Kevin Murray (Carmel, Ind./Carmel), who poured in a season-high 25 points, just two short of his career-high set at Otterbein midway through the 2007-08 season. Murray finished 11-of-19 from the field, including 3-of-8 from three-point range. He added five rebounds and two assists in an outstanding 29-minute effort.
Also reaching double figures offensively were junior post Mark Snyder (Celina, Ohio/Riverside) with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting and freshman wing Michael Cooper (Springfield, Ohio/South) with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, although he made just 2-of-7 from the free throw line. Snyder added six rebounds, while Cooper chipped in with four rebounds and four assists.
Wittenberg, which never trailed in the game, held Oberlin to 35 percent shooting from the field and won the rebounding battle 36-27. The Tigers used an 11-2 run to end the first half to gain a 40-25 halftime advantage and then added a 12-2 burst to open the second half and effectively put the game away.
The Tigers have a week off before returning to action against Allegheny at 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10. The Gators ended Wittenberg's 2007-08 season with a stunning NCAC Tournament quarterfinal victory last February.