Springfield, Ohio – After trailing at half by a 40-16 margin, the Wittenberg University Men's Basketball team fought back and cut the Ohio Wesleyan lead to six, 51-45, with 6:57 left on a layup from freshman freshman forward Daniel Asher, but the Bishops' quickly pushed the lead back out to double digits to post a 66-53 victory over the Tigers on Thursday night at Pam Evans Smith Arena. 

How It Happened 

OWU stormed out of the gates in the opening period, leading 25-2 with 8:50 left in the first half following a layup from Nick Carlson. Asher, who posted a career-high 17 points in the loss, closed out the first half with a pair of field goals to make the score 40-16 at the break. 

After a Carlson three pointer made the score 43-21 with 15:17 left in the game, the Tigers ripped off a 12-3 run, capped off by a three pointer from senior guard Jordan Welch, to make the score 46-35 with 10:42 on the second half clock. The Tigers and Bishops went back-and-forth for the next few possessions, before Wittenberg pulled within single digits, 51-43, on a jumper in the paint from freshman guard Justin Shipman-Curtis.  

Asher's layup with 6:57 left brought the Tigers within six, 51-45, but OWU stretched the lead back to double digits, 55-45, with 6:11 left on a layup from Grant Spicer. Wittenberg cut the lead to 10 twice over the final 6 minutes of play, but OWU ultimately pulled away late to secure the 13-point victory. 

By the Numbers 

Asher's night included career-high marks in points (17), rebounds (4) and minutes played (16). He closed out the contest shooting 7-for-10 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free throw line. Shipman-Curtis and junior forward Levi Boettcher also reached double figures in the contest with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Wittenberg finished the game shooting 36 percent (21-58) from the field, 41 percent (9-22) from the free throw line and 14 percent (2-14) from beyond the arc.  

Up Next 

The Tigers and Battling Bishops will complete their two-game series on Saturday (2/20) with a 1:00 p.m. tip-off at Branch Rickey Arena in Delaware, Ohio. You can visit our website www.wittenbergtigers.com for live video and live stat links for the game.