Gregg Hill
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg men's basketball team rolled to 4-0 over Capital Tuesday night by a score of 79-69, thanks to one of the decade's best performances from senior wing Gregg Hill (Farmington Hills, Mich./Redford Union). Hill racked up 34 points, the third-best single-game mark in the 2000's, and came close to a major career milestone.
Hill finished the game with 994 career points, just six points away from joining the Tigers' esteemed 1,000-point club. He connected on 10-of-16 field goals, including 5-of-8 from three-point range, and 9-of-10 at the free throw line. He also added five rebounds, two assists and a steal in 31 minutes on the floor. Hill fell just four points shy of the best single-game performance since 2000, a 38-point game from Rod Emmons at Wabash on Feb. 19, 2003.
Hill's hot hand pushed the Tigers to 51-percent shooting on the night, including a 4-of-6 outing from senior post Mark Snyder (Celina, Ohio/Parkway), the team's second-leading scorer. The Tigers shot 45-percent from long range, and a solid 16-of-20 from the stripe.
Junior forward Lewis Buzzard (Columbus, Ohio/Franklin Heights) led Wittenberg in rebounds with seven, though the Tigers were outrebounded 40-28 on the night. Along with Snyder, Buzzard also led the team with two blocks, to pace a stiff defense that held Capital to 36.7-percent shooting, including 30.8-percent from three-point range.
Wittenberg led from the outset, scoring the first points of the game on a Snder lay-up. The Tigers leapt out to a 23-10 lead in the next eight minutes, before closing the first half with a 43-28 lead. In the second half, the Tigers led by as much as 19 before Capital narrowed the gap to six points with 2:40 remaining in the game. Wittenberg responded with seven straight, including five from Snyder to build the lead back to 13 before Capital hit a three-pointer, closing the margin to its final number.
The Tigers have a lengthy lay-off over the Thanksgiving holiday, playing next at Hiram on Dec. 4, scheduled for 4 p.m.
Written by: John Strawn '07