Springfield, OH- Wittenberg returned home for their senior day against Allegheny. Prior to the match-up the Tigers celebrated their six seniors. The class of 2022 include Delaney Williams, Abigail Yunker, Mack Snyder, Kristie Kalis, Sam Wyatt, and McKenna Baker. Wittenberg matched up with a team that the program has seen in action 67 times in the past with a 76.5% win rate against.
The Tigers were led by Delaney Williams, Mack Snyder, Kristie Kalis, Sam Wyatt, and McKenna Baker on the court as Wittenberg's starting five. The starting line-up accumulated a total of 26 points, 19 rebounds, and an overall shooting percentage of 32.7%.
Wittenberg was able to control the game in the first quarter, putting up 14 points compared to the Gators 10. Four different Tigers were able to put points on the board in the first including McKenna Baker, Delaney Williams, Kristie Kalis, and Jade Simpson. The Red & White were able to add 13 points to their total in the second quarter with Abigail Yunker and Sam Wyatt joining in on the scoring action for the Tigers to head into the locker room with a 27-20 lead. Before heading into the half, Kalis ended the second quarter with a layup to make her Wittenberg women's basketball new career points leader. The previous leader, Sarah Jurewicz has held the record since 1998 with 1,297 points. Kalis would go on to add 8 points for a career total of 1,301. Former Tiger and Head Coach, Jurewicz says "A huge congratulations to Kristie on achieving the all-time scoring record at Wittenberg. Having had the chance to watch Kristie in-person during her first few seasons, I saw the dedication she put into her craft on the court and she undoubtedly has earned her place in the record books. As special as it has been for me to carry that Tiger pride from my achievements during my playing days, it is even more special to see the program grow with talent like Kristie's; it's an honor to pass on the torch to her. Additionally, it's a unique privilege to have advised Kristie and have her in class which provided me the opportunity to get to know her more personally. The extra personal connection really does make this a very joyful occasion! It's student-athletes like Kristie, and the future accomplishments they achieve, that will continue to make me proud to be a Tiger."
Vice President and Director of Athletics & Recreation, Brian Agler said "It's great to see Kristie become Wittenberg's all-time leading scorer in women's basketball. She has put in a lot of time towards improving her skills and she is an ultimate team player."
The Gators were able to stick with the Tigers in the third quarter with both teams putting up 13 points but the Red & White were able to maintain a 40-28 lead. Yunker led the way in the third with five points. Adding to the Tigers total in the third along with Yunker were Kalis, Simpson, and Kelsey Ragan. Delaney Williams led the fourth quarter for the Tigers with six made free-throws while Simpson led on defense with six rebounds. Wittenberg was able to close the game out with a final score of 57-46. Wittenberg now stands at number four in the conference with an NCAC record of 5-4 and overall record of 11-7.
Wittenberg Leaders- The Tigers had ten different individuals score, being led by Jade Simpson with 14 points, going 5-6 from the field and 4-5 from the line. Defensively, Simpson also led the way with 13 rebounds.
NCAC Leaders- Five Tigers continue to sit in the top ten in the NCAC for statistics. Kristie Kalis sits at number nine in the conference for points this season with 239 after today's match-up. Kalis also lands in the top ten for field goals made this season, being put on the line 208 times and making 84 of those. Kalis continues to lead the way in three points made at number three with 38 shots being made while Yunker lands at number ten with 24. Yunker comes in at number one in the conference for three-point percentage with an average of 47.1%. Just behind in three-point percentage is Kelsey Ragan at number eight with a 34.8% average. Going 38-45, Yunker lands at number one for field goal percentage with a 84.4% success rate. On the ball control side, Jade Simpson lands at number two in the conference for rebounds with 172; 112 being defensive and 60 being offensive. Delaney Williams sits at number three for assists on the season with 81 and number five in steals with 37 on the season. Joining in on ball control is Kalis at number four in blocks with 22. (For complete NCAC statistical leaders go to https://www.northcoast.org/sports/wbkb/2021-22/leaders)
Up Next- Wittenberg will return home on February 4th at 6PM against Allegheny. Tickets for this match-up can be found at https://wittenbergtigers.com/gameday/tickets/Online_Box_Office