Tigers Go Overtime To Take Down Ohio Wesleyan

Delaware, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers needed to rally against the Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops in regulation to force an extra five minutes of basketball. That set the stage for the Trey Killens (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mason) show as the junior guard scored 13 of the Tigers' 16 points in the overtime period to secure an 85-80 victory.

It hasn't been easy for the Tigers, but they are 2-0 in the early going of the 2023-24 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) title chase. Overall, Wittenberg improved to 6-2 on the season, while Ohio Wesleyan fell to 1-7 and 0-2 in the NCAC.

In the NCAC opener three days earlier, the Tigers needed a buzzer beater from Killens to secure a two-point win over visiting Oberlin. Against OWU, which was coming off a 37-point loss to Wooster, Wittenberg fell behind late in the second half. Over the final three minutes, however, the Tigers outscored the Bishops 9-2 to force overtime, with the last two points coming on two clutch free throws from sophomore Eddie Brown (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy Orange) with 17 seconds left.

Wittenberg jumped on top early in the overtime, but OWU kept it close throughout. Ultimately, the Bishops couldn't find an answer to Killens, who poured in 13 points to finish with a career-high 39 for the game. Killens' previous best scoring performance was 31 points against Denison during the 2022-23 season.

Brown added 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds for the Tigers, and junior Cameron Harrison (Eaton, Ohio/National Trail) added 12 points. Wittenberg shot 37 percent from the field, compared to 47 by Ohio Wesleyan. The key statistical difference in the game was free throws as Wittenberg turned one of the best performances in program history by making 34-of-37 shots from the charity stripe. OWU finished 10-of-15 in the game.