Tigers Hang On For One-Point Victory Over Hiram

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Three days after one of the greatest comeback victories in Wittenberg men's basketball history, the Tigers nearly saw the tables turned by Hiram before escaping with an 80-79 victory.

Just as Wittenberg came back from a 22-point second-half deficit to claim an improbable 62-60 overtime win over Ohio Wesleyan on Jan. 8, the Terriers rallied from an 18-point second-half deficit to take the ninth-ranked Tigers down to the wire. Wittenberg struggled to close the game thanks to faulty free throw shooting, but the Tigers did just enough defensively to hang on.

The win was Wittenberg's 11th in a row and improved the Tigers to 12-1 on the season, including a perfect 6-0 mark in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), tied for first with second-ranked Wooster. Hiram, which has overtime losses to Ohio Wesleyan and DePauw on its 2013-14 ledger, fell to a hard-luck 3-10 overall and 1-5 in the league.

Wittenberg led 38-27 at halftime and appeared to take control of the game for good with a strong start to the second half. The Tigers led 57-39 at the 13:01 mark after freshman Shane Edwards (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg) scored on a lay-up.

But Hiram battled back, whittling away until Matt Roman drained a three-pointer with 1:57 remaining to give the Terriers a 73-72 lead. The teams traded the the lead until senior Zack Leahy (Rossford, Ohio/Rossford) hit two free throws with 45 seconds left and then made the defensive play of the game, stealing the ball from Hiram's Aaron Stefanov to set up another free throw by freshman Cody Phillippi (Xenia, Ohio/Xenia) with 24 seconds remaining.

After Roman hit a free throw with 15 seconds left, sophomore Alex Fultz (Cincinnati, Ohio/Glen Este) swished a pair of foul shots two seconds later and the Terriers responded with a missed three-pointer. Senior Scott Masin (New Carlisle, Ohio/Bethel) closed things out with a free throw with seven seconds left before Hiram hit a three-pointer with one second on the clock.

Masin led the Tigers with 18 points and five rebounds, while Leahy added 14 points, three assists and four boards. Phillippi contributed 11 points and six rebounds in 16 effective minutes off the bench.

The Tigers have a big week ahead, starting with a challenging road trip to DePauw on Wednesday, Jan. 15. Wittenberg caps the week by welcoming current conference co-leader Wooster to Pam Evans Smith Arena at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18.