SPRINGFIELD, Ohio—Wittenberg women's basketball opened up the 2016 campaign at home on Tuesday night, as the Tigers welcomed a familiar foe in Capital to Pam Evans Smith Arena. The Crusaders and Tigers squared off in 2015 in Columbus, and while a years' time has passed between games, the Tigers have taken on a more youthful look in 2016. Boasting a squad that is deep with underclassmen, the Tigers battled for 40 minutes on Tuesday night, but could not overcome the tough inside game of Capital. Wittenberg fell 65-50 on Tuesday night, as the young-squad showed flashes of putting together a cohesive offensive game to complement their spunky defense.

GAME BREAKDOWN

• Wittenberg found themselves behind 10 points early in the first quarter, but the offense was able to get in sync in the second quarter, as the Tigers outscored the Crusaders 13-12 in the period.
• Bobbie Clayton netted eight points in the second quarter for Wittenberg, as the Greenwood, Indiana native returned to the Tiger lineup after missing the entire 2015-16 campaign with an injury.
• At the half, the Tigers trailed 24-14, after shooting 30% in the first 20 minutes of action.
• Out of the gates in the second half, both offenses turned the game into a track-meet, as the Tigers and Crusaders combined for 35 points in the third quarter.
• Hannah Weaver and Liz Tolliver guided the Tigers in the period, combing for 10 points on slick shooting.
• Despite staying neck-and-neck with Capital in the fourth quarter, Wittenberg fell 65-50 as the Tigers 21 points in the fourth could not overcome the early 11 point deficit.
• In the fourth, Alex Kiess hit her stride, knocking down a clutch three-pointer on her way to seven quick points.

KEY STATS

• Clayton and Kiess both slated double-digit scoring outputs for the Tigers, respectively with 11 and 12 points each.
• Clayton recorded a double-double in the season opener pulling down 10 boards to go along with her 11 points.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Wittenberg was outrebounded 52-32 on Tuesday, as Capital was able to turn that stat into 46 points in the paint compared to the Tigers 20.
• The Tigers benched outscored Capitals in the season opener, as high-level production resulted in 19 bench points for the red and white.

UP NEXT

• The Tigers return to action on November 19-20 at the Rose City Tip-Off Classic hosted by Drew University.
• The Tigers face-off against Middlebury on Saturday, November 19^th at 4:00PM before advancing in the tournament for another game on Snday, November 20^th.
• Fans can catch the Tigers at home again on November 30^th, when the Ladies of Kenyon travel to Springfield for a NCAC game scheduled to tip at 7:30PM.