Killens Hits Game-Winner In Final Seconds As Tigers Hold Off Oberlin

Trey Killens
Trey Killens hit the game-winning basket with two seconds left in a 76-74 win over Oberlin.

Springfield, Ohio - After a frustrating offensive performance for 39-plus minutes, junior Trey Killens (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mason) found his shooting stroke at just the right time for the Wittenberg Tigers, knocking down the game-winning jumper in a thrilling 76-74 win over Oberlin.

The win pushed the Tigers' record to 5-2 overall and 1-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). Oberlin saw its three-game winning streak snapped and fell to 4-4 overall and 0-1 in the league.

The ending was fitting for a game that featured six ties and a whopping 11 lead changes, including a series of momentum shifts over the final five minutes. Killens hit two free throws with 2:02 remaining in the game to tie things at 71-71 and then senior Jeff Queen (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) scored three points in the span of 50 seconds that allowed the Tigers to keep pace with the Yeomen and set the stage for Killens' dramatic field goal.

Senior Dean Tate (Indianapolis, Indiana/Warren Central) then iced the game defensively with a steal just before the final horn.

Both teams shot 47 percent from the field, but Wittenberg had its best shooting night of the season from long distance, recording 9-of-17 from three-point range. Once again, the Tigers were sound in their ball-handling with just seven turnovers.

Queen and Tate led the Tigers with 13 points each, followed by a career-high 12 points and seven rebounds in 29 quality minutes off the bench for sophomore Dawson Scott (New Castle, Indiana/New Castle). Killens added 10 points to extend his season-opening streak of double figure scoring performances to seven.