Fast Start Carries Tigers Past Hiram And Into Second Place

HIRAM, Ohio - Hiram's Price Gymnasium has been an unlikely house of horrors for the Wittenberg men's basketball team in recent years. On the final day of the 2013-14 season, the Tigers stunned Hiram with a 22-2 run early in the first half to ensure a much-needed victory and a strong move into second place in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) standings.

The 86-60 road win pushed the Tigers back into a three-way tie for first place in the NCAC standings with DePauw and Ohio Wesleyan at 13-5. Overall, the 22nd-ranked Tigers stand 19-6 heading into an NCAC Tournament quarterfinal home date against Denison at the No. 3 seed on Tuesday, Feb. 25.

Hiram, which had beaten Wittenberg at home four of the last five years, saw its season come to an end with records of 4-14 in the NCAC and 6-19 overall.

The Terriers held an early 5-2 advantage before the Tigers broke the game open by scoring 22 of the next 24 points. By halftime, Wittenberg had pushed its lead out to 43-19 and the Tigers made sure there would be no rally by scoring the first seven points of the second half. Hiram lost at Wittenberg 80-79 on Jan. 11, but only after the Terriers put a scare into the Tigers with a furious second-half rally.

Individually, the story of the game was senior post Scott Masin (New Carlisle, Ohio/Bethel). He recorded his second straight double-double and 12th of the 2013-14 season with 24 points and 10 rebounds. He hit 5-of-8 shots from the field but was particularly effective from the free throw line, where he tied a school record with a perfect 14-of-14 performance.

Masin came into the game with 983 career points. During the game, he became just the 32nd player in Wittenberg history to surpass 1,000 points for his career. That total does not include Chris Sullivan and current senior Zack Leahy (Rossford, Ohio/Rossford), who both surpassed 1,000 collegiate points at two different schools (including Wittenberg).

Leahy, who reached 1,000 career points in a win against Kenyon on Feb. 19, continued his fine offensive play. He added 14 points, three rebounds and three assists.

Twelve different Wittenberg players scored in the game. Junior Sam Collins (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) and sophomore Alex Fultz (Batavia, Ohio/Glen Este) each finished with nine points for the Tigers, who shot 50 percent for the game while holding Hiram to 32.8 percent, including a paltry 4-of-24 from three-point range.