Tigers Unable To Hold First Half Lead In Loss To IWU

Springfield, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers put together a strong first half, but Illinois Wesleyan increased the defensive pressure over the final 20 minutes to pull away for a 52-59 victory on the opening day of the 2023 Great Lakes Invitational.

The Wittenberg-Illinois Wesleyan tilt was the fourth and final game of the day. The Tigers dropped to 2-2 on the season, while the Titans improved to 2-1.

After falling behind in the early going, Wittenberg took advantage of an IWU cold spell to go ahead by as many as points before halftime. However, the Titans dominated the opening minutes of the second half, erasing a five-point halftime lead for Wittenberg almost immediately. The Tigers kept it close, getting back within two points with less than seven minutes to go, but Illinois Wesleyan finished the game on a 21-10 run.

Wittenberg's offense rose and fell during the game with the play of junior guard Trey Killens (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mason). After scoring 16 points in the first half, Killens was limited to six points in the second half on 1-of-5 shooting from the floor. He finished with 22 points and was the Tigers' lone double-figure scorer in the game.

Senior Jeff Queen (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) added nine points and led Wittenberg with eight rebounds and three assists. Junior Cameron Harrison (Eaton, Ohio/National Trail) also finished with nine points, and freshman Tyler Galluch (Springfield, Ohio/Catholic Central) contributed eight points off the bench.

As a team, Wittenberg shot 41 percent from the field but was limited to just 3-of-14 from three-point range. Illinois Wesleyan shot 44 percent from the field, but the Titans committed four fewer turnovers in the game and won the rebounding battle, 32-28.