SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers opened the first half with a 13-5 run and closed it with a 14-4 burst to take what turned out to be an insurmountable 15-point halftime lead en route to a 75-64 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) victory over visiting Wabash.
The win, Wittenberg's 14th straight at home against Wabash and its 16th in 19 meetings since the Little Giants joined the NCAC in 2000, kept the Tigers alive in the regular season title chase with records of 9-8 overall and 6-3 in the conference, two games behind co-leaders Hiram and Wooster. The Terriers pay Wittenberg a visit on Saturday. Wabash, which lost for the fourth time in five games since a surprising 15-point win over Wooster, fell to 8-9 overall and 3-6 in the conference.
The Little Giants never let Wittenberg completely pull away, and as a result they had their chances down the stretch, pulling within five points three times in the final four minutes. But after two free throws from Wabash's Aaron Brock at the 1:48 mark closed the margin to 64-59, the Tigers responded with a lay-up by freshman postAlex Brandt (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy) and then a steal by Brandt at the other end. When senior wing Kevin Murray (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) converted a lay-up on the ensuing possession, the Tigers had the cushion they needed.
The Tigers shot 49 percent from the field, compared to 51 percent for Wabash, and the Little Giants got the best things on the glass by a 29-28 margin. The difference in the game was turnovers, as Wabash committed 13 in the first half and 21 total, compared to just 11 for the Tigers. Wittenberg held a commanding 19-3 points off turnovers differential in the first 20 minutes and a 26-16 margin overall, both of which nearly mirrored the score at halftime and the end of regulation.
Individually, the Tigers were led by Murray with 18 points, including his 100th career three-pointer. Freshman wing Josh McKee (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh)was outstanding as well with 15 points, thanks in part to 4-of-7 shooting from three-point range. Brandt rounded out the double-figure scorers with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting. He also finished with four assists and a team-high five rebounds.