Croci Wins 200th As Tigers Keep Pace Near Top Of NCAC

Gambier, Ohio - The Wittenberg men's basketball team made an early lead stand up in an 80-75 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) win over host Kenyon, in the process picking up win No. 200 for Head Coach Matt Croci.

Ironically, Croci's 200th win came against Kenyon, where he got his start as a head coach. The 1994 graduate of Wittenberg has led the Tigers to records of 10-4 overall and 4-1 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) so far in the 2023-24 season. Kenyon fell to 4-10 overall and 2-3 in the NCAC.

The win over Kenyon followed a familiar script for the Tigers, who were led offensively by Trey Killens (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mason) with 26 points, in addition to a team-high seven rebounds. He was supported by Cameron Harrison (Eaton, Ohio/National Trail) with 14 points, and Jeff Queen (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) with 12 points. Dawson Scott (New Castle, Indiana/New Castle) made significant contributions off the bench with nine points and seven rebounds.

The two teams finished with very similar shooting percentages from the field and three-point range, as opposed to their free throw percentages, which were decidedly in Wittenberg's advantage. The Tigers made 16 more free throws in the game.

The win allowed Wittenberg to keep pace with Denison in the NCAC standings. The Big Red are 5-0, with Wittenberg on their heels at 4-1. Denison visits Springfield for a first-place showdown on Wednesday, January 10.