Tigers Solve Wabash Zone, Pull Away For 20-Point Win

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - More often than not, senior point guard Steven Newell (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont) is the man who sets the table for his teammates to score. But with his team struggling to solve Wabash's active 2-3 zone, it was Newell's sweet shooting stroke that sparked the Tigers as he knocked down a career-high five three-pointers to lead Wittenberg to a 70-50 victory over the visiting Little Giants.

Newell needed just seven attempts to hit five triples en route to a game-high 15 points. He added two rebounds, two assists and his second blocked shot of the season while going without a turnover in 26 efficient minutes at the point for the Tigers.

Newell's first three-pointer accounted for the first three points of the game for either team, but it took about 13 minutes for the game's pace to pick up. Trailing 17-12 and shooting just 28 percent, the Tigers got a spark from a pair of reserves as freshman Cody Phillippi (Xenia, Ohio/Xenia) and senior Justin McDowell (Gahanna, Ohio/Lincoln) drained three-pointers about one minute apart to kickstart a decisive 12-0 run.

Newell hit the three-pointer that capped the run. He opened Wittenberg's scoring in the second half with another trey, and Newell rounded out his night with a shot from distance with 3:19 left that expanded the Tigers' lead to 64-48.

Junior Sam Collins (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) added 11 points, four rebounds and four assists for the 18th-ranked Tigers, who improved to 15-3 overall and 9-2 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), good for four-way tie for first place tie with DePauw, Ohio Wesleyan and Wooster. Wabash lost for the second time in the 2013-14 season to Wittenberg and fell to 5-12 overall and 4-7 in the league.

Senior Scott Masin (New Carlisle, Ohio/Bethel) struggled in the post for the Tigers, but he still managed nine points and a game-high six rebounds, while McDowell contributed eight points and three assists in 17 solid minutes off the bench.