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TORONTO, Ontario — Wittenberg dropped its second preseason exhibition game on a Canada Training Trip at the University of Toronto, 79-61.
After a good first half, the Tigers faltered early in the second half and never mounted a serious threat beyond the 10-minute mark of the second half. Senior Alex Brandt (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy) and freshmen Zack Leahy (Rossford, Ohio/Rossford) and Sam Collins (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) were the individual bright spots on the day. Brandt was the team's leading scorer with 15 points, and he also tied senior Jacob Weide (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) for the team lead in rebounds with five. Leahy, a transfer from the University of Toledo, and Collins were just one point short of hitting double figures as well as both scored nine points.
The Tigers played much of the first half without their leading scorer as senior Clayton Black (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) picked up his third personal foul in only five minutes of play. Wittenberg managed to stay close with good free throw shooting, converting 10-of-13 freebies in the first half alone. In the second half, the Tigers struggled with making shots as they converted on only 16 percent of their field goal attempts, while Toronto heated up from the field, shooting 46 percent.
"It is extremely frustrating to not being able to make shots," said Head Coach Bill Brown. "While Toronto was very aggressive defensively, we were very impatient at times and other times just couldn't get the ball to fall for us. There is no question that the 24-second shot clock used in Canadian basketball doesn't permit a team to play with much patience compared to what we are used to having a 35-second possession clock in the United States.
"Still, we were very disappointed with our play at the beginning of the second half. We thought that having Clayton back on the court and having a chance to shore up some things at halftime would lead to a solid second half of play. No question our play was borderline unacceptable in that second half. Toronto has very good basketball players for sure, and they shot the ball well. You have to play well to be competitive against them."
Next up for the Tigers is York University in Toronto. Top returning players Black, Brandt, Weide, sophomore Steven Newell (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont) and a couple of the new faces will be sitting this game out, with the game roster featuring mostly first and second year players. NCAA rules require Wittenberg to travel all players who participated in the extra 10 days of practice granted for this out-of-the-country trip. The Tigers conclude the trip with a game Tuesday in London, Ontario against the University of Western Ontario.