GRANVILLE, Ohio—Wittenberg men's hoops moved to 8-0 (4-0) on the year after dismantling Denison on their home floor; 86-55. The Tigers led by as many as 42 in the game, and shot 55% from the floor and 52% from beyond the three-point line as a team. The Tiger's defense forced Denison into uncomfortable sets all afternoon, as the Big Red shot 16-50 (32%) from the floor. Wittenberg was led by Mitchell Balser, who scored 18 points, including 14 first half points. The Tigers take a break from NCAC play, returning to action on December 20 at Heidelberg.
HOW IT HAPPENED: Wittenberg hit the ground running in Granville, opening the game with an 18-4 run, capped off by a James Johnson layup. After a Big Red timeout, Wittenberg extended their early lead to 23-7 before Denison cut the Tiger's lead down to 23-19 with 9:05 remaining in the first half. Wittenberg would go up 33-19 with 5:50 remaining in the opening frame, as the Tigers took a 46-26 lead into the locker-room at the break. The second half was all Wittenberg, extending their lead to 59-28 after a Landon Martin and-one layup with 15:38 remaining in the contest. Chris Sloneker pulled down an offensive rebound minutes later for the Tigers, putting in the uncontested put-back with 12:49 remaining as the Tigers went up 30 over Denison; 64-34. Wittenberg would go up 42 over the Big Red with 9:21 remaining at 79-37 after a Jacob Bertemes and-one layup was good, connecting on the free throw moments later. The Tigers emptied the bench the rest of the second half, and continued to dominate Denison, winning at the final buzzer by the score of 86-55.
WHO STOOD OUT: Balser (18), Chad Roy (12), Connor Seipel (12), Bertemes (10) and Martin (10), rounded out the Tiger's double-digit scorers in the blow-out. Jordan Pumroy, Seipel, Roy and Johnson all pulled down five rebounds for the Tigers. Pumroy and Balser facilitated the offense all afternoon, dishing out five assists each.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: The Tigers lit it up from deep, connecting on 11 of their 21 three-point attempts, including an 8-13 clip in the first half. The Big Red turned the ball over 20 times in the game, as Wittenberg was able to capitalize with 26 points off the Denison miscues. While the outside shooting for Wittenberg was next-level good, the red and white handled their business down in the trenches, outscoring Denison in the paint 40-10. In a game where Denison never led on their home floor, the Tigers outrebounded Denison 35-30.
UP NEXT: Wittenberg hits the road for a non-conference tilt against the Student Princes of Heidelberg on December 20. Tip-off from Tiffin is set for 3:00 P.M.