Tigers Ring Up 49th Straight Win Over Oberlin

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - It was a game that followed a familiar script in the long-running series between the Wittenberg Tiges and the Oberlin Yeomen. The host Tigers jumped to a double-digit lead within the first six minutes en route to an 85-69 victory, marking the 49th straight time that Wittenberg has defeated Oberlin.

The last time the Yeomen defeated Wittenberg was Feb. 3, 1979. The overall series, which dates back to the first recorded season of Tiger men's basketball and a 49-11 Oberlin victory in 1912, now stands at 73-6 in favor of Wittenberg.

While he is certainly a student of the game and proud of the history of Wittenberg men's basketball, Head Coach Bill Brown surely is more focused on the present state of his program. The Tigers improved to 3-1 overall on the young 2013-14 season and 1-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), while Oberlin fell to 0-4 overall and 0-3 in the league.

After the two teams traded three-point field goals to start the game, Wittenberg scored the next seven points. By halftime, the margin had expanded to 49-30, and the lead fluctuated between 15 and 25 points over the final 20 minutes.

Junior Sam Collins (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) led all scorers with 22 points, topping a trio of Tigers in double figures. Seniors Scott Masin (New Carlisle, Ohio/Bethel) and Zack Leahy (Rossford, Ohio/Rossford) added 14 points apiece, with Masin topping both teams in rebounds as well with 10. Masin and Leahy both totaled three assists in the win as well.

Wittenberg connected from the field at a 54 percent clip, while holding Oberlin to 39 percent shooting. Also of note was the play of freshman Landon Hormann (West Liberty, Ohio/Salem), who scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds off the bench.