Springfield, Ohio – The Wittenberg women's basketball team returned to action hosting the Susquehanna River Hawks in the opening round of the Kiwanis Holiday Classic. The Tigers took the opening game 78-69 on Friday. Wittenberg finished with four players scoring in double figures for the second straight game. Posting her second double-double of the season, junior Sydney Mayle finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman Kristie Kalis recorded her first career double-double in the red and white with 12 points and 15 rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED: Wittenberg took a 21-18 lead after the first quarter, knocking down over 50% of their attempts from the field. Susquehanna would regain the lead going into the break 38-33, as the River Hawks held the Tigers to just 33% from the field through the final 10 minutes of the first half. The Wittenberg bench came through in the second half to outscore Susquehanna 22-17 down the stretch. After pulling down six rebounds in the first half, Kalis scored five of her twelve total points in the fourth quarter reeling in six more boards over the final 10 minutes. Mayle scored 11 points while grabbing six rebounds through the first half. The Columbus native added two assists and a steal right out of the gate, to spark the Wittenberg offense. Freshman Delaney Williams converted on 7 of 10 attempts from the foul line, tallying 11 points and dishing out eight assists on the day. Junior Alex Kiess rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Tigers, adding 12 points and coming up with three steals.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Wittenberg converted on 42% of their chances from the floor, and unloading on 37% from deep range. The Tigers forced 21 Susquehanna turnovers, scoring 18 points off of River Hawks miscues. The Wittenberg bench outscored Susquehanna 31-26 on the day. The Tigers controlled the paint with a 40-24 lead. Wittenberg gained position inside to outrebound the River Hawks 46-32.

UP NEXT: Wittenberg will be back in action on Saturday, Dec. 30 for day two of the Kiwanis Holiday Classic, taking on Ohio Northern University. Tip-off is set for 4:30 PM.