MEADVILLE, Pennsylvania—Wittenberg men's basketball made a statement in their first NCAC game of 2016-17 on Saturday; dropping the Gators of Allegheny by 20 points. With the strength of the NCAC from top to bottom, Wittenberg and first year head coach Matt Croci know how important league games are, no matter who the competition is. On the court, Wittenberg was led by Shane Edwards who filled the stat-sheet for the Tigers, logging 17 points, nine rebounds, six steals and five assists on eight of ten shooting from the field. The Tigers lead by as many as 23 in the game, and now look ahead to the first home game of the season against DePauw on December 7.

GAME NOTES

• The Tigers scored 47 points in the first half, as the Tigers lead by 41-24 late in the opening half after an Edwards deep three with 5:39 remaining.  
• Chad Roy and Cody Phillippi did it all for the Tigers early on in the second half, as the dup combined for 13 consecutive points for the Tigers in four-minute span.
• Wittenberg's presence inside and sharp-shooting from the field did the Gators in, as Wittenberg improved to 4-1 on the year behind 40 points in the paint.

KEY STATS

• Phillippi paced the Tigers with 23 points, Edwards with 17, Roy with 14 and Ryan Gallimore with 13.
• Landon Hormann and Shane Edwards combined for 19 rebounds and seven assists, as the Tigers produced 16 assists in the game.
• As a team, Wittenberg produced 29 points off of 17 Allegheny turnovers, and outrebounded the Gators 36-23 in the game.

FROM THE BENCH

• "Very proud of the guys today. This is always a tough trip and Allegheny is much improved. Shane and Cody got us off to a great start and the rest of the guys followed. We're excited to get back on campus and play in front of our home fans," said Coach Croci.

UP NEXT

• Wittenberg will play host to DePauw on December 7 at 7:00PM for the first home game of the year.