Springfield, OH – The D3Hoops.com No. 22 Wittenberg men's basketball team traveled to Hanover College on Tuesday evening, continuing their three-game road stands to open the 21-22 season. The Tigers fell to the Panthers, a perennial Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference power, 76-69. Wittenberg found their stride in the second half, outscoring Hanover 48-39 and overcoming the 37-21 deficit. Rashaad Ali-Shakir led the Tiger scoring effort with 21 points, knocking down 7 of 11 from the floor, including 4 of 6 from deep range. With three Wittenberg scorers posting double-figures on the night, Landon Martin added 15 points with Ridge Young contributing 11.
Trailing 37-21 at the intermission, Ali-Shakir led the Wittenberg scoring and rebounding effort with five points and three rebounds. The Tigers came out of the game hot in the second half, scoring 14 points, cutting into the Hanover advantage. Wittenberg converted on 17 of 30 shot attempts from the floor through the final 20 minutes of action, knocking down 8 of 13 shots for beyond the arc. The senior duo of Ali-Shakir and Martin led the Tiger offensive attack in the second half, with Ali-Shakir going 5 of 5 from the floor, knocking down all three attempts from three-point range. Martin went 5 of 8 from the floor in the second half, dishing out three assists.
NCAC LEADERS
Through the Tigers first three games of the season, Young continues to rank amongst the NCAC leaders averaging 18.3 points per game, coming off an 11 point effort against the Panthers. The senior also sits in the top three spots for FG% and 3pt FG%, knocking down 66.7 (3rd) from the floor and 60.0 (1st) from beyond the arc. Levi Boettcher has converted on 50.0 of his attempts from deep range, putting him in the fifth spot on the 3pt FG% list after the opening weekend.
UP NEXT
Wittenberg will return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 30 making their debut at Pam Evans Smith Arena, hosting the Wilmington College Quakers. Tip-off is set for 8:00 PM from The Pam.