SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers had their backs against the wall entering the week 6-4 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). They responded with a big win at Ohio Wesleyan on Wednesday and then capped their big week with a 66-58 home victory over Hiram.
Wittenberg improved to 16-5 overall and, more importantly, 8-4 in the NCAC with the win. Hiram, which had beaten the Tigers 92-74 on Dec. 5 and had won three straight in the series, dropped to 10-11 overall and 7-5 in the conference.
The Tigers came out hot, shooting 50 percent from the field, including 5-of-12 from three-point range, to take a commanding 39-23 lead into the locker room at halftime. Hiram, forced to make the long road trip through difficult road conditions due to a significant winter storm on Friday, staged a ferocious second-half rally to close the gap to five with 1:41 to go. While Wittenberg struggled from the free throw line from that point, the Tigers did just enough to hold on for the win.
Individually, Wittenberg was paced by senior post Mark Snyder (Celina, Ohio/Parkway) with 17 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore wing Josh McKee (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh) and senior guard David Nowicki (Carmel, Ind./Westfield) added 10 points apiece, with Nowicki also contributing seven rebounds and four assists to the cause.
As a team, the Tigers shot 42 percent from the field, although they went 0-of-11 from long distance in the second half. Wittenberg won the battle of the boards 45-35, although the Tigers did commit 12 turnovers to just five for the sure-handed Terriers, who were paced by 14 points from Chris Roberts, one of three players in double figures by game's end.
Wittenberg returns to the court at Pam Evans Smith Arena against Earlham on Wednesday, Feb. 10, for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off, followed by a road game at league-leading Wooster at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13. The Tigers are currently in third place, four games behind the Scots with four to play.