COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Wittenberg men's basketball team had trouble finding their touch Tuesday night on the road against Capital University, falling to 0-2 on the young season by a final score of 80-56.
The Tigers trailed by only eight points at 39-31 after one half, but the shooters went cold in the second half, just 9-for-28 from the field in the period. Capital cooled after the break as well, slowing from 58-percent shooting down to 45-percent to finish at 51-percent.
The turnover bug bit the Tigers in the second half, as the Crusaders converted eight Wittenberg giveaways into 14 points.
The Tigers were paced by senior guard Chris Sullivan (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) who turned in 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting, including four three-point makes and two-of-two from the free throw line.
Junior forward Clayton Black (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) led the team with six rebounds, five at the defensive end, and backed up Sullivan with 17 points. He was efficient on 5-of-8 shooting, and added a clutch performance at the free throw line, going 7-of-8 from the stripe.
Sophomore forward Ian Quick (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville) and junior post Alex Brandt (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy) each chipped in five rebounds.
The Tigers will next take part in a tournament hosted by the University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., facing off first against Washington & Jefferson at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 27. They could play the hosts or Pitt-Bradford the next day in either the consolation at 1 p.m. or the championship game at 3 p.m.
John Strawn '07