SPRINGFIELD, OH - It isn't the size of the dog, it's the size of the fight in the dog. Or something like that.

Wittenberg Men's Basketball was giving up at least a few inches at every position as the Tigers lined up against the visiting Hope Flying Dutchmen. Yet the Tigers repeatedly battled back against their nationally ranked visitors before finally dropping a hard-fought 68-63 decision.

The Tigers' starting backcourt of seniors Trey Killens (Cincinnati, OH/Mason) and Cameron Harrison (Eaton, OH/National Trail) combined to score 39 points in the game. Killens drained 4-of-5 shots from three-point range, and he also took advantage of most of his chances at the free throw line, knocking down 10-of-13 from the charity stripe to finish with 24 points. But Hope more than matched the stellar offensive play supplied by Killens and Harrison, shooting a red-hot 70% from three-point range in the second half to build what turned out to be an insurmountable lead.

The game featured six ties and six lead changes, but none of those took place over the final 24 minutes. But Wittenberg refused to fold, even when the Flying Dutchmen pushed the lead out to 59-47 on a Josh Decker three-pointer with 6:25 remaining in the game. A layup by Tyler Galluch (Springfield, OH/Catholic Central) started the comeback, and the Tigers closed to within two points on a pair of Killens free throws with 27 seconds remaining.

They would get no closer, however, as Hope made 5-of-6 free throws from that point. Hope shot 41.7% from the field overall, but the Flying Dutchmen were 11-of-20 (55%) from long distance, and they were 17-of-20 from the free throw line. Wittenberg shot 40% overall, including 9-of-20 from three-point range, and the Tigers were 14-of-19 from the free throw line. Despite the size disparity, Wittenberg was only outrebounded 28-26 in the game.

Wittenberg is on the road for its next three games: at Asbury on Friday, Nov. 22, at Mount St. Joseph on Wednesday, Nov. 27, and at Wilmington on Sunday, Dec. 1.