Written by: Sutton Jacobs '18

CHICAGO – The Tiger women's basketball team took game two at the North Park Tip-Off Classic against Elmhurst, 65-45. Scoring efforts for Wittenberg was led by returning starter Delaney Williams, who put up 21 points into the basket over the Blue Jays. Freshman Nora Hopkins tallied 10 points scored coming off the bench as another Tiger in the double-digit margin. Also off the bench, Amanda Raber grabbed six rebounds off the board while Abigail Crum and Korynne Berner snag five more apiece.

How It Happened: The Tigers and the Blue Jays bounced back and forth for a majority of the first quarter, neither team able to pull away until the red and white put up four unanswered points late in the first. Williams put six points into the net in each quarter of the first half, leading the Tigers to a 27-23 lead at the half. Late in the second, a pair of free throws off the hands of Raber boost the Wittenberg lead-margin to nine. Coming out of the locker rooms after halftime, Williams led an 11-1 run with the help of Raber and Riley Culver. The balanced Wittenberg attack continued, holding the Blue Jays scoreless for five and a half minutes from the third quarter into the fourth. Williams went to the bench after scoring seven in the third, allowing senior-duo Alex Kiess and Hannah Weaver to put four points on the board apiece.

Inside the Numbers: For the second game in a row, the Tigers developed a rhythm coming out of half time to score 20-plus points and later held the opposing team to single-digit points in the fourth quarter. The red and white also held the opposition scoreless from beyond the arc for the second time this season. Shooting 53.1% from the field on the evening to Elmhurst's 27.9%, the Tigers scored 13 points off 15 Blue Jay turnovers. In addition, Wittenberg tallied 16 assists and 37 total rebounds. The red and white controlled the paint, putting up 44 points through the rim down low. Also contributing to the Tiger victory, the reserves took the court to claim 28 points, led by Hopkins and Raber, who combined for 18.

Thoughts from the Bench: "Proud of what we accomplished this weekend. We played really well as a team and showed some toughness on the floor." - Kelly Mahlum, Head Coach

Up Next: Wittenberg returns to Springfield, Ohio for their home opener at The Pam against OAC rival Capital. Tip off for the NCAC/OAC Challenge will be at 7:30 PM on Novemeber 20th.

It's final; tally another win for @WittWBB #TigerUp pic.twitter.com/FyhDJSXFHW

— Wittenberg Athletics (@WittAthletics) November 17, 2018

More accolades for @WittWBB, as Delaney Williams is named the Classic MVP and Riley Culver is named to the All-Classic team. Congrats Tigers! Check out the duo's stats from this weekend >> pic.twitter.com/9XYIckSBJR

— Wittenberg Athletics (@WittAthletics) November 18, 2018