Springfield, OH – The Wittenberg Tiger men's basketball team overwhelmed the Lords of Kenyon College on Saturday afternoon, 82-64, making their return to Pam Evans Smith Arena. The Tigers controlled nearly every aspect of the game, taking a 43-30 lead into the break. Wittenberg was able to outscore the Lords 39-34 in the second half, shooting 56 percent from the floor while holding Kenyon to just 14 of 31 from the field. The Tigers were led by Josh Tolliver with a team-high 20 points, converting on 8 of 10 from the floor, including 3 of 3 from three-point land. Three fellow Tigers added double-digits to the Wittenberg scoring total, with 13 points coming from Ridge Young knocking down 4 of 5 from the floor and 3 of 4 from beyond the arc. Landon Martin provided 12 points for the Tiger offense with Brice Hill adding 11 points, burying 3 of 5 from three-point land. Martin would lead the rebound column for the Tigers at the end of the day with seven boards, reeling in six at the defensive end.
The Tigers took the early lead going up 10-4 on the Tolliver triple, coming off the steal by Daniel Asher. With just around 10-minutes remaining in the half, Martin put the Tigers ahead 22-9 converting on the jumper from just inside the arc. Taking the clock to just inside five minutes to play, the Tigers extended their lead to 16 points after a pair of Martin free-throws. The Tigers pushed the pace down the stretch, as Levi Boettcher converted the layup in the final minute, putting the Tigers ahead 43-28. Wittenberg converted on 16 of 25 from the floor, knocking down 7 of 8 attempts from beyond the arc to start the game.
The Wittenberg defense held strong in the second half, maintaining the double-digit advantage over the Lords. The Tigers carried the hot shooting streak into the final 20-minutes, converting on 56 percent from the floor and 5 of 8 from beyond the arc. Wittenberg would stretch their lead out to as many as 22 points in the second half, putting together a 10-point scoring run midway through the half.
NCAC LEADERS
The Tigers currently have two of the top three sharpshooters on their team in Young and Tolliver. Young leads the North Coast Athletic Conference in three-point shooting percentage at 52.1 with Tolliver holding down the third spot at 47.4. Tolliver and Young also land at third and fourth in the NCAC for field goal shooting percentage, with Martin working his way into the top five at 54.2. Martin sits on the cusp of the top five in scoring, averaging 16.1 points per game.
UP NEXT
Wittenberg will return to action on Sunday, February 6 traveling to Gambier to close out the series with the Lords. Tip-Off is set for 4:00 PM.