GREENCASTLE, Indiana—Wittenberg hoops moved to 7-0 on Wednesday with a 13 point road win at DePauw. The 7-0 start for Wittenberg is their first since the 1993=1994 campaign, a season that saw the red and white rattle off 26 consecutive victories, including a trip to the final four. Second year Tiger's Head Coach Matt Croci was a senior on that historic Tiger's squad. Wittenberg's 77-64 win came at the hands of Mitchell Balser who poured in 17 for the Tigers, while sophomore guard Jordan Pumory provided a spark off the bench with a huge 12 rebound effort. The Tiger's now shift their focus to Denison, as Wittenberg hits the road again on Saturday, December 9.
HOW IT HAPPENED: After shooting nearly 55% from the floor in the first half, Wittenberg and DePauw were gridlocked at 34 all at halftime. Wittenberg trailed DePauw 44-40 with 14:34 remaining in the contest, before separating themselves at 52-46 with ten minutes remaining in the game. The Tigers would go up ten over DePauw at 62-52 after a Landon Martin three with 6:25 remaining. James Johnson followed his fellow freshman's lead, splashing home a three of his own with 4:13 remaining, giving the Tiger's a 69-58 cushion. Two Chad Roy free-throws with 2:56 remaining in the game would give Wittenberg a 73-59 lead, as the Tigers of Wittenberg were too much for the Tigers of DePauw down the stretch.
WHO STOOD OUT: Pumroy pulled down a career high 12 boards off the bench for the Tigers, while Balser scored 11 of his 17 points in the second half. In the game, Balser shot 50% from the floor and dished out three assists. Roy (12) and Martin (10) also scored in double-digits for the Tigers, while Martin's ten points were complimented by six rebounds in a stellar effort off the bench for Wittenberg.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: As a team, Wittenberg shot nearly 52% from the floor, while holding DePauw to 41%. Wittenberg shot nearly 44% from three-point land, and cashed in on 14 of their 17 attempts from the charity stripe. Leading by as many as 16 in the contest, the Tigers mopped up on the glass, hauling in 41 rebounds to DePauw's 25, while totaling seven second chance points. Wittenberg's bench stole the show on the road, outscoring DePauw in the category 31-15.
FROM THE BENCH: "Our bench gave us great energy on the road tonight. Those guys really helped push us over the edge," said Coach Croci on the 13 point NCAC victory.
UP NEXT: Wittenberg returns to action on Saturday, December 9, with a trip to Denison. The Tigers and the Big Red are set to tip-off at 3:00 PM from Granville.