Springfield, OH- The Tigers were back on the court after the Holiday to compete against the 6-4 Wilmington Quakers in the 2019 Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Classic. A 85-68 win over the Quakers improves Wittenberg to a 7-4 overall record and puts the Tigers in the Championship game against the Stevenson Mustangs.
Abigail Yunker lead the Tigers in points for the first quarter, going two for two on free throws and 4-6 in field goals. The Tigers faced a fastpaced back and forth first quarter with the Quakers keeping up. In the first quarter the Tigers led in FG% with 56.5%, putting up 25 points to lead by seven going into the second quarter.
The second quarter would be less explosive for the Tigers, who put up 17 points. The Quakers were able to fend off Wittenberg's defense to stay close but the Tigers extended their lead to ten and went into the half up 42-32. Wittenberg continued to lead in FG%, total rebounds, assists and points off of turnovers going into the half. Yunker continued to lead in points with thirteen going into the half, followed by Korynne Berner with ten. Berner is currently fourth in the NCAC for FG% with a solid 50%.
Wittenberg came out of the half strong, putting up 20 points and extending their lead against the Quakers to seventeen with a score of 62-45. Tiger defense stepped up and limited the Quakers to thirteen points and keeping their FG% to 40.4% going into the fourth quarter.
Wittenberg finished strong in the fourth quarter to defeat the Quakers 85-68. The Tigers were able to put up 23 points to end the fourth with a 50.8% in field goals, and 75% free throw percentage.
Key Players: Yunker led the Tigers with 23 points in the match-up, going 8-13 in field goals, 1-3 in 3-points and 6-6 in free throws. Delaney Williams helped out on offense, leading Wittenberg in assists with four and Riley Culver snatched eight rebounds to lead the Tigers.
NCAC Leaders: Along with Berner, Nora Hopkins is fourth in the NCAC for 3PT% with 41.4%, and Delaney Williams is tied for third in the NCAC for steals, averaging three per game.
Up Next: Wittenberg will be back tomorrow, December 30th at 4:30 PM to compete against the Stevenson Mustangs in the Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Classic Championship game.