No. 12 Witt Hoops Takes Down Kenyon

Gambier, Ohio – The No. 12 Wittenberg men's basketball team defeated the Lords of Kenyon College 82-70 on Saturday afternoon, improving to 8-1 on the season and 4-0 in North Coast Athletic Conference play. Picking up their fourth-straight victory, the Red and White have posted 80+ points against their opponents in five of their eight wins so far this season. Wittenberg took a 43-30 advantage over Kenyon going into the half, posting a 50 percent field goal mark through the first 20-minutes of action. The Wittenberg offense was led by James Johnson, posting 18 in his second consecutive game shooting better than 60 percent from the field.

Game Breakdown

As the two sides battled back and forth in the early going of the game, the Lords found themselves ahead by nine points with just over 13 minutes until the half, in a game that tallied just two ties and two lead changes before the final horn. The Tigers would use a 12-1 scoring run to close out the final minutes of the first half. Wittenberg held the Lords to 42 percent from the field and just 38 percent from beyond the arc in the first half. Leading the Tiger scoring effort in the first half was freshman Levi Boettcher, scoring all 13 of his points while going five of five from the floor and converting on two of two attempts from deep range. Boettcher would also add two assists, two steals, and a rebound before heading into the break. The Tigers used defense to help facilitate the offense, forcing eight Kenyon turnovers in the first half, adding six more takeaways before the final buzzer. Capitalizing off the Kenyon miscues, the Red and White were able to score 22 points off of 14 Kenyon turnovers on the afternoon. Wittenberg would capture their largest lead of the game, maintaining a 22-point advantage over their NCAC foes with just over 11 minutes left in the second half.

Who Stood Out

As Wittenberg scored 52 of their 82 points in the paint against the Lords, Connor Seipel finished the afternoon with 12 points as Wittenberg's third-leading scorer. Seipel added eight rebounds and two assists on the afternoon, finishing 5 of 10 from the floor. A trio of Tigers finished the game with nine points, including Jordan Pumroy, Mitchell Balser and Landon Martin.  Balser would dish out four assists, reeling in two rebounds, along with blocking two shots. Martin added four rebounds and an assist, finishing four of six from the field in 15 minutes of action for the Red and White.

The Thread

�� @WittenbergHoops returns to action this afternoon, taking on the Lords of Kenyon College in a @NCAC showdown at 2:00 PM! Follow all the live action��
��: https://t.co/4FBNyvWYlL
��: https://t.co/4FBNyvWYlL#TigerUp �� & ⚪️ pic.twitter.com/zjCqpraLas

— Wittenberg Athletics (@WittAthletics) December 15, 2018 

It has been a week since @WittenbergHoops last game, and head coach Matt Croci shares his thoughts ahead of the match-up with Kenyon this afternoon! #TigerUp pic.twitter.com/IKeu3qHshB

— Wittenberg Athletics (@WittAthletics) December 15, 2018

IT'S GAMETIME @WittenbergHoops FANS!
��: https://t.co/4FBNyvWYlL
��: https://t.co/4FBNyvWYlL #TigerUp �� & ⚪️ pic.twitter.com/98pkWUOc3Z

— Wittenberg Athletics (@WittAthletics) December 15, 2018

�� @WittenbergHoops takes a 43-30 lead into the break over Kenyon!
��: https://t.co/4FBNyvWYlL
��: https://t.co/4FBNyvWYlL #TigerUp �� & ⚪️#TigerUp pic.twitter.com/GqnnTCTHdV

— Wittenberg Athletics (@WittAthletics)

December 15, 2018

�� @WittenbergHoops WINS!
��: FINAL#TigerUp �� & ⚪️ pic.twitter.com/sKpn5MGXR7

— Wittenberg Athletics (@WittAthletics) December 15, 2018

UP NEXT

Wittenberg will return to Pam Evans Smith Arena of the break, hosting the Wittenberg Kiwanis Holiday Classic, taking on Bryant-Stratton in the opening game on Friday, Dec. 28 at 7:00 PM.