MARIETTA, Ohio—Wittenberg men's basketball hit the hardwood for their second game in as many days on Saturday, as the Tigers took down Birmingham Southern College 86-63. The Tigers shot 52 percent from the floor in the 23-point victory, as the Tigers controlled the game from wire-to-wire. The Tiger's 2-0 start came at the hands of Rashaad Ali-Shakir (17), Mitchell Balser (16), Chad Roy (14) and Connor Seipel (12) who all scored in double-digits for Wittenberg.
HOW IT HAPPENED: Wittenberg led 18-15 in the first half before the Ali-Shakir nailed a three-pointer, giving the Tiger a 21-15 lead with 11:41 left to play in the opening frame. Ali-Shakir cut to the hoop for an easy layup with 10:39 remaining, as the Tigers grew their lead to 12 at 27-15. Out of a BSC timeout, Ali-Shakir splashed home another long ball, as the Tigers then led 30-15. Wittenberg took a 49-38 lead into halftime, as the Tigers would keep the double-digit lead alive in the early minutes of the second half. Wittenberg held BSC without a field goal for nearly six minutes in the second half as the visiting team finally hit a three-pointer, as the Tigers then led 63-46. Wittenberg would eventually win 86-63 as the Tigers bench was emptied on an afternoon that was all Tigers.
WHO STOOD OUT: Balser led the Tigers offense with six assists to go along with his 16 points, as the Tigers dished out 26 assists as a team in the double-digit win. Ali-Shakir went four of five from beyond the three-point line in the Tigers victory, notching 17 points on five of six shooting overall. Seipel missed a double-double for the Tigers, as the sophomore netted 12 points and pulled down nine boards, three of which were offensive rebounds. After putting together an 18-point performance in a win against MSJ the day prior, Roy picked up where he left off for Wittenberg, netting 14 points on six of seven shooting while pulling down seven boards. Jordan Pumroy and Jacob Bertemes aided Balser in the frontcourt, each dishing out five assists.
BY THE NUMBERS: The Tigers outrebounded BSC 40-34, and picked up 26 assists to BSC's eight. The Tigers also forced BSC into 13 turnovers, resulting in 12 Tiger points. Each team hit nine three-pointers in the early season contest, while the Tigers and Coach Croci enjoyed 48 points from the Tiger's bench.
QUOATABLE: "Two things stood out today; we had 26 assists with only eight turnovers and then we managed to outscore BSC in the paint 42-16. I am really happy with our offensive production today," said Coach Croci.
UP NEXT: Wittenberg returns to action on November 21 against the Crusaders of Capital at 8:00PM. The Tuesday night OAC-NCAC Challenge serves as the home opener for the Tigers.