Story Contributions Courtesy of Rachael Yalaz '19

Springfield OH – The Wittenberg women's basketball team came back from Winter Break looking as strong as ever this season as the Tigers took down the University of Dubuque Spartans, 89-58, in the first round of the Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Tournament at Pam Evans Smith Arena. The Tigers kept a solid lead throughout the game, shooting 41% from the field, led by sophomore Abigail Yunker scoring 15 points off the bench.

Game Breakdown 

The Tigers pulled ahead with a small three-point lead in the first quarter, but not without the Spartans putting up a fight. The Tigers continued to build their lead and increased the scoring gap in the second quarter, led by senior Alex Kiess scoring 10 points and pulling down four rebounds in the second frame.   

The third quarter was when the Tigers pulled away from the Spartans, with Yunker scoring seven of her 15 points and freshman McKenna Baker helping the scoring effort with 10 points of her own. Wittenberg outscored the Spartans by a 25-9 margin in the third quarter to push its lead out to 70-32. In the final quarter, the Spartans began to fight back, but the Tigers defense was too strong for them to come back with the Tigers tallying 12 rebounds and two steals. 

Inside the Numbers 

The Tigers held a strong defense against the Spartans with 41 rebounds and 15 steals in the first round of this tournament. At the forefront of these numbers was junior Riley Culver and sophomore Kristie Kalis, who both had six rebounds apiece, while Yunker also led the squad with four steals on the afternoon. Close behind Yunker's 15 point-performance was Baker and Kiess with 12 points each. Kalis also reached double figures on the day with 11 points. 

UP NEXT

The Tigers return to action at the Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Tournament tomorrow afternoon against Heidelberg at 4:30 p.m. Heidelberg advanced to the title game with an 82-47 win in Friday's second semifinal game.