MEADVILLE, Pa. — The Wittenberg men's basketball team looked unstoppable as they ran out to a 47-25 halftime lead at Allegheny and never trailed in an 81-66 victory over the Gators on Saturday, improving to 2-3 overall and opening the North Coast Athletic Conference schedule at 1-0.
Tiger junior Alex Brandt (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy) opened the game's scoring with a bucket off of junior teammate Clayton Black (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster), and after Allegheny tied it up at 2-2, it was Wittenberg the rest of the way.
The opening basket was just the beginning of a memorable night for Brandt. He finished 6-of-8 from the field and 7-of-9 at the free throw line, leading all players with both 19 points and 10 rebounds.
The totals represent Brandt's first collegiate double-double, and his first foray into double figures in scoring since the 2008-09 season.
Black also had a strong day on the floor, going 9-of-11 to finish just behind Brandt with 18 points. Junior Jacob Weide (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) added five rebounds.
Three of senior Chris Sullivan's (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) four made field goals were three-pointers as he finished with 11 points.
The Tigers took over the first half by owning the paint, where they outscored the Gators 24-4, and controlled the entire game by putting together one of the best team shooting performances in recent history.
As a unit, Wittenberg went 32-of-56 from the floor for a .571 percentage, their best outing since an 88-64 road win at Earlham College on Jan. 27, 2010. In that game, the Tigers made 33 of 57 field goals for a mark of .579.
The Tigers also outrebounded the Gators 36-26, while holding the hosts to 32-percent shooting in the first half and 43-percent overall.
Following the long drive back to Springfield Saturday night, the Tigers next prepare for a road game at Denison on Wednesday, Dec. 8, slated for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff, before making their long-awaited home season debut against Ohio Wesleyan at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 20.
John Strawn '07