SPRINGFIELD, Ohio—With an 84-72 win over the Wabash Little Giants, the Tigers clinched at least a share of the NCAC regular season crown. Wittenberg (22-0, 15-0) won their 13th consecutive game by double-digits as Chad Roy led the Tigers with 22 points. On a personal note, Roy's most important bucket came early on in the game, as the senior netted a layup to make him the 33rd Tiger men's basketball player to record 1,000 points in his career. The Tigers are now four wins away from matching their best start in school history, a 26-0 run in 1993-1994 during head coach Matt Croci's senior season.
HOW IT HAPPENED: Wittenberg went up 10 in the first five minutes of action, before the Tiger lead grew to 21-8 with 13:14 remaining after a Chris Sloneker made layup. With 8:20 remaining in the opening half, Jacob Bertemes netted three-pointer off of an assist from Roy to give Wittenberg a 26-12 lead. Leading 36-23 with 1:19 remaining in the first half, Wabash came roaring back to cut the lead to 38-28 at the break. Wabash got going offensively in the second half, but Wittenberg managed to dictate the pace, taking a 62-48 lead after a Roy bucket with 10:39 remaining in regulation. The Little Giants would come within four points of Tigers, but the lead would grow back to 10 for Wittenberg after a James Johnson made layup with 3:31 remaining. The Tigers managed to connect on their free-throws down the stretch to keep the Little Giants at bay, as Wittenberg clinched the victory by 12; 84-72.
WHO STOOD OUT: Leading the way with 22 points, Roy stuffed the stat sheet with six boards, four assists, two steals and two blocks. Bertemes (18), Connor Seipel (10), and Rashaad Ali-Shakir (10) all recorded double-digit nights for Wittenberg. Johnson and Seipel paced the Tigers with nine boards each, as Seipel missed out on a double-double by one rebound in the win. Ali-Shakir has stepped up in a big way on the defensive end of things, as the freshman recorded four steals on Wednesday.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Wabash netted 10 triples in the games for a 41.7% clip, as Wittenberg shot nearly 50% from the floor for the game. The Tigers edged out Wabash 37-36 on the glass, and recorded assists on 13 of their 28 field goals. Both teams managed to take care of the ball Wednesday night, as Wabash turned the ball over nine times to Wittenberg's seven. The Tiger's bench doubled-up Wabash, netting 28 points to the Little Giant's 14, as Ali-Shakir led the way with 10 points.
UP NEXT: #3 Wittenberg is back in action on Saturday at Hiram. Tip-off is set for 2:00 P.M.
.@WittenbergHoops Moments ago, Chad Roy recorded the 1,000th point of his Tiger career, making him the 33rd Wittenberg Men's Basketball player to ever achieve the feat #TigerUp #d3h pic.twitter.com/pf1VdB0x2O
— Wittenberg Athletics (@WittAthletics) February 8, 2018
A closer look at 1,000 for senior 'Mad' Chad Roy #TigerUp #d3h pic.twitter.com/YAUgFxWKJn
— Wittenberg Athletics (@WittAthletics) February 8, 2018
Tigers clinch a share of the @NCAC crown. #TigerUp https://t.co/ZiGOoB2MPB
— Scott Leo (@Scott_Leo) February 8, 2018