Hiram, Ohio – The Wittenberg men's basketball team wrapped up regular season action on Saturday afternoon, taking down the Terriers of Hiram College, 92-71. The Tigers picked up their first win in Price Gymnasium since January 2016 when Wittenberg last defeated the Terriers, 65-42. On their way to picking up the win, four Tigers finished the afternoon scoring in double figures. Connor Seipel neared his season-high, logging 28 points, finishing off his 14th double-double of the season, adding 13 rebounds with three assists, two blocked shots and a steal. Seipel finished off an efficient afternoon, going 12 of 14 shooting from the floor, converting 4 of 4 attempts from the charity stripe. Wittenberg closes out the regular season 20-5 and 14-4 in NCAC action.
Game Breakdown
Wittenberg quickly doubled up Hiram, taking an early 20-10 lead before the halfway mark of the first half. The Tigers maintained their advantage heading into the half, outscoring the Terriers 53-32 at the break. Mitchell Balser led the Wittenberg scoring effort through the first 20 minutes of action, scoring all 16 of his points, knocking down 5 of 7 from the floor, including 4 of 5 from beyond the arc. Balser got it done at both ends of the floor, pulling down five rebounds and dishing out three assists. Seipel opened the game posting 10 points in the first half with six rebounds, three assists and a steal. Wittenberg converted on 56 percent of their attempts from the floor in the first half, holding the Terriers to 12 of 28 from the floor and just 4 of 12 from deep range. The Tigers continued to feed the hot hand in the second half, as Seipel added 18 points to his total on 7 of 8 shooting from the floor, adding seven rebounds and two blocks. Landon Martin added eight points, finishing 4 of 6 from the floor in the second half. Wittenberg knocked down 16 of 31 attempts from the floor to close out the game and converted on all five attempts from the free throw line.
Who Stood Out
James Johnson knocked down 7 of 12 from the floor, finishing with 15 points, pulling down five rebounds and serving up one assist. Martin finished the night 7 of 11 from the floor, tallying 15 points, adding two rebounds and two assists to go along with a steal. Jordan Pumroy added four rebounds and four assists to go along with a steal on the day.
UP NEXT
Wittenberg will host Ohio Wesleyan on Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 6:00 PM from Pam Evans Smith Arena in the first round for the NCAC Tournament.