Tigers Pull Away From Oberlin For 61-45 NCAC Win

SPRINGFIELD, OH - After jumping out to a 14-4 lead in the opening minutes, Wittenberg Men's Basketball kept up the momentum against visiting Oberlin and finished with a flurry, even energizing the crowd assembled at Pam Evans Smith Arena with a pair of emphatic second-half dunks en route to a 61-45 victory.

The win moved Wittenberg to 7-9 overall and 3-4 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). Oberlin, which lost its 20th straight game against Wittenberg, fell to 9-7 overall but just 1-6 in the league.

In the early going, it was the Cameron Harrison (Eaton, OH / National Trail) show for the host Tigers as he scored the first seven points of the game for Wittenberg and 10 of the first 12. By game's end, Harrison poured in a game-high 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field, including 4-of-9 from three-point range.

After trading baskets with Oberlin in the opening minutes, Wittenberg rode Harrison's hot hand to a 29-16 lead by halftime. The lead eventually pushed out to as many as 21 points late in the second half before both teams cleared the benches.

Offensive support came from Tyler Galluch (Springfield, OH / Catholic Central), who finished with 11 points, including his final score on an emphatic left-handed dunk with less than two minutes remaining, and Eddie Brown (Lewis Center, OH / Olentangy Orange), who added 10 points, including a dunk of his own, and a team-high seven rebounds. Also of note was the efficient play of Daniel Asher (Indianapolis, IN / Roncalli), who hit 4-of-5 shots in 16 minutes off the bench, and the hustling defensive effort of freshman Isaiah Chitapa (Louisville, KY / Evangle Christian), who had a steal and three rebounds to go along with five points in 11 minutes off the bench.

Wittenberg won the rebounding battle against the much taller Yeomen 33-23, and the Tigers protected the basketball amazingly well, committing a season-low two turnovers in the entire game, compared to 11 for Oberlin. Wittenberg shot 47.3% from the field, while the Tigers' strategy of mixing and matching defenses from zone to man-to-man limited Oberlin to 35.6% shooting.