SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — For the first time in three years, the Wittenberg Tigers simultaneously reached both the 20-win plateau and the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament semifinals with a convincing 85-63 victory over visiting Hiram.
Wittenberg has hosted an NCAC Tournament quarterfinal game every year since joining the conference prior to the 1989-90 season, but each of the last two years ended in disappointment as visiting teams pulled upsets. A fast start and outstanding shooting throughout the game ensured the Tigers a return trip to the NCAC Tournament semifinals, in the process moving Wittenberg to 20-6 overall. Hiram ended its season at 12-14 overall after finishing in the fifth-place tie in the NCAC standings at 9-7.
The Tigers, who had split two regular season games with the Terriers en route to an 11-5 NCAC record, good for a third-place tie with Allegheny, jumped out to a 23-6 lead and never looked back. Hiram closed to within 40-30 by halftime, but the Tigers never allowed the Terriers to get any closer than eight points over the final 20 minutes.
Wittenberg shot 55.2 percent in the first half and 53.2 percent overall from the field, including an efficient 7-of-16 from three-point range. Both teams grabbed 37 rebounds in the game, but Wittenberg held a 14-8 edge in turnovers, which led to a 21-9 advantage in points off turnovers for the Tigers. Hiram was held to 42.4 percent shooting from the floor and hurt itself with 5-of-11 shooting from the free throw line.
Individually, Wittenberg put four players in double figures offensively, starting with sophomore Clayton Black (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster), who poured in a career-high 17 points in 21 outstanding minutes. He added a team-high eight rebounds. Sophomore Josh McKee (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh) contributed 14 points and four rebounds, senior Mark Snyder (Celina, Ohio/Parkway) was outstanding with 12 points, five rebounds and four assists, and junior Chris Sullivan (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) rounded things out with 11 points. Also of note was the play of sophomore Jacob Weide (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead), who added eight points and five boards in 19 standout minutes off the bench.
Wittenberg advanced to get a third shot at second-seeded Wabash at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26, at the College of Wooster. The Tigers lost twice to the Little Giants by a combined total of 10 points, despite holding second-half leads in each instance. Top-seeded regular season champion Wooster hosts fifth-seeded Ohio Wesleyan in the nightcap Friday, with the winners scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip-off on Saturday, Feb. 27.