SPRINGFIELD, OH - Wittenberg Women's Basketball hosted Hiram for their senior day celebration and came away with a 74-56 win in their last game of the regular season. With the win, Wittenberg's record is 16-9 (8-6 NCAC) and Hiram finishes the regular season at 11-13 (4-9 NCAC).
In the senior day celebration before the game, Wittenberg recognized seven graduating student-athletes: Payton Cronen (Louisville, KY / Assumption), McKenna Baker (Brownsburg, IN / Bethesda Christian), Taryn Cash (Cincinnati, OH / Princeton), Riane Burton (Houston, TX / Cypress Ranch), Jazmyn Gaines-Burns (Bladensburg, MD / Elizabeth Seton), Katie Whitaker (Pittsford, NY / Our Lady of Mercy) and Kelsey Ragan (Whitehouse, OH / Anthony Wayne).
The Tigers took an eight-point lead in the first quarter, heading into the second with a 24-16 lead. In the second quarter, both teams scored 13 points, as Wittenberg held the same eight-point advantage at the intermission. The Tigers built on their lead in the third quarter, outscoring the Terriers 23-11 to take a 20-point lead into the fourth quarter of play. In the fourth, Hiram had the scoring advantage, 14-16, to ultimately lead to an 18-point Tigers win.
Team Leaders
- Burton led the team with 20 points, while Ragan and Karsen Karlblom (Crystal Lake, IL / Prairie Ridge) added 10 each and Madi Barnett (Cincinnati, OH / Kings) dropped nine of her own.
- Burton also grabbed nine rebounds and Baker pulled down five rebounds coming off the bench.
- Cash paced the team in assists, dishing out four, and Barnett was right behind with three.
Team Comparison
- Wittenberg led in every statistic, aside from free throw percentage and points off turnovers, where they only trailed by nine percent and two points off turnovers.
- Wittenberg dominated the post throughout the game, leading in points in the paint, 40-28, and rebounds, 27-18.
- The Tigers also made their shots at almost a 20 percent higher clip, 58.3%-38.5%.
The Tigers' next game will be an NCAC Tournament quarterfinal match-up at Oberlin. The Tigers will take on the Yeowomen at 7 p.m. Tuesday, February 25.