Granville, OH- Wittenberg was back on the road today against Denison for their sixth conference match-up of the year. Prior to the game the Tigers were 2-3 in the conference and sat at number five in the NCAC. The Big Red were 4-3 and just above Wittenberg in the standings at number four.
The Tigers were led by Delaney Williams, Abigail Yunker, Kristie Kalis, Jade Simpson, and Kelsey Ragan on the court as Wittenberg's starting five. The starting line-up accumulated a total of 49 points, 21 rebounds, and an overall shooting percentage of 47%.
Wittenberg looked to shut down the Big Red's top shooters in the first half and were able to limit the Big Red's top two to a combined six points in the first two quarters. The Tigers were led by Kristie Kalis with 12 points in the first half, followed by Jade Simpson with six. Wittenberg was able to head into the locker room with a 27-22 lead thanks to their defensive strength. Both the Tigers and the Big Red broke even in the third quarter, each putting up 13 on the board with Wittenberg remaining in the lead 40-35. In the fourth quarter, Wittenberg was able to expand their lead by eight for a final score of 54-46.
Wittenberg was able to lead statistically in all shooting categories and held the lead for all but three minutes and forty-one seconds of this match-up. A quick Tiger offense was able to put up 17 fast break points and defensively caused 22 turnovers for the Big Red.
Wittenberg Leaders- The Tigers had six different individuals score, being led by Kristie Kalis with 23 points, going 6-6 from the line, 3-6 in three-points, and 7-14 in the field. Defensively, Jade Simpson led the way picking up six rebounds.
NCAC Leaders- Five Tigers continue to sit in the top ten in the NCAC for statistics. Kristie Kalis and Abigail Yunker both sit in the top ten for points with Kalis at number nine and Yunker at number ten. Yunker also sits in the top ten in the conference for field goal percentage at number ten with a season average of 44.8%. Kalis and Yunker also lead in three-points made this season with Kalis leading the way at number three and Yunker just outside at eleven. Despite being number eleven, Yunker lands at number three in three-point percentage in the conference with an average of 46.3% while Kelsey Ragan lands at number nine with 35.3%. Yunker also lands at number one for free-throw percentage, being put on the line 36 times this season for an average of 86.1%. On the ball control side, Jade Simpson lands at number two in the conference for rebounds with 134; 85 being defensive and 49 being offensive. Delaney Williams sits at number three for assists on the season with 63 and number six in steals with 27 on the season. Joining in on ball control is Kalis at number six in blocks with eleven. (All statistical leader Information is from prior to today's competition. For complete NCAC statistical leaders go to https://www.northcoast.org/sports/wbkb/2021-22/leaders)
Up Next- The Tigers will return home on January 26th against DePauw at 5:30PM. Tickets can be purchased at https://wittenbergtigers.com/gameday/tickets/Online_Box_Office