Granville, OH – Just moments after putting the Tigers ahead 89-88 in the second overtime, senior James Johnson took the game-winning charge at the defensive end of the floor with just seconds remaining. Johnson posted a career-high 36 points, knocking down 12 of 25 from the floor, converting on 8 of 9 from the free-throw line. Senior Jordan Welch kept the Wittenberg hopes alive as the first overtime came to an end, knocking down a pivotal corner three-pointer to bring the game back to even at 83-83, coming off the Joe Martin assist. As the end of regulation approached, it was the senior duo of Johnson assisted by Ridge Young, that put the Tigers ahead 74-71 with just two seconds left on the clock. Denison ran the length of the court and hit a three at the buzzer, kickstarting the double-overtime thriller.

Game Breakdown

The Tigers held a 42-33 advantage after the first 20 minutes of action. Johnson led the Wittenberg scoring effort with 16 points, knocking down 4 of 8 from the floor, including 7 of 7 from the charity stripe. Levi Boettcher provided nine points, knocking down all three of his attempts from beyond the three-point arc. Wittenberg combined to shoot 53 percent from the field as a team, including 41 percent from deep range. The Tiger defense held tough, holding the Big Red to just 12 of 34 from the floor and 4 of 13 from beyond the arc. Wittenberg continued to feed the hot hand in the second half, as Johnson knocked down 6 of 10 from the floor, including 3 of 4 from deep range through the final 20 minutes.

UP NEXT

Wittenberg will close out their 2021 season, celebrating three seniors before hosting the Big Red from Denison University at 1:00 pm.