Springfield, Ohio – The Wittenberg women's basketball team tipped off their doubleheader weekend, hosting the Terriers of Hiram College in their annual Play-4-Kay game from Pam Evans Smith Arena on Friday night. The Tigers took down their NCAC foe 77-61, outperforming the visiting Terriers through all four quarters of action. Kristie Kalis tallied her third double-double of the season, posting 25 points and reeling in 10 rebounds, adding an assist and a steal. The Tigers had two other players finish the night scoring in double-digits, as Alex Kiess recorded 13 points and Riley Culver posted 10. Wittenberg moves to 13-8 on the season and 7-5 in NCAC action.

Game Breakdown

The two sides battled back and forth to open the contest before Wittenberg captured their first significant advantage in the second quarter at 28-21. The Tigers opened the game shooting 58 percent from the floor, as Kalis posted a quick nine points for the Red and White through the first quarter. Wittenberg played lockdown defense heading into the break, holding the Terriers to shooting just 4 of 14 from the field in the second quarter, outscoring Hiram 15-9 before the half. Coming out of the break, Wittenberg didn't stop the pressure knocking down 9 of 13 from the floor, as they put together their best quarter of work on the night. Kalis added seven points in the third quarter, knocking down 3 of 4 attempts from the floor and pulling down three rebounds. Wittenberg posted a 50 percent shooting mark from the floor on the night, converting 14 of 18 attempts from the free-throw line. The Tigers maintained their largest lead coming down the stretch, holding a 19-point lead with just under two minutes to go in the game.

Who Stood Out

The Tigers were efficient in their scoring on the night, as Kalis knocked down 10 of 14 on her way to 25 points. Kiess finished 5 of 8 from the floor and 3 of 5 from beyond the arc, finishing with 13 points. Culver went 4 of 6 on the night, dishing out three assists and coming up with two steals. Abigail Crum provided six points off the bench for the Red and White.

From The Bench

UP NEXT

Wittenberg will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 3:00 PM hosting the Gators of Allegheny College in an NCAC showdown from Pam Evans Smith Arena.