Tigers Drop Heartbreaker in Holiday Tournament Finale

Memphis, Tennessee - Wittenberg University Men's Basketball team continued its season at the Rhodes College Tournament in Memphis, Tennessee, on Sunday, where  they took on Simpson College for the first time in school history.

The game was a close battle for the Tigers with eight lead changes and four ties, ultimately ending in a two-point heartbreak for the Tigers. 

Wittenberg had an excellent day shooting from the field, firing an impressive 23-47 field goals, equal to a 48.9% efficiency.  The Tigers were led by Jaelin Williams (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) with 18 points.  Junior Landon Hormann (West Liberty, Ohio/Salem) contributed 8 points for the Tigers.  Cody Phillipi (Xenia, Ohio/Xenia), Shane Edwards (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg), and Chris Sloneker (Monroe, Ohio/Monroe) each contributed 6 points to the Tigers' cause. The Tigers' bench was helpful adding 28 total points.

The Tigers easily won the rebound battle by 13 total rebounds, 41-28.  Landon Hormann led the Tigers with a massive 12 rebounds, followed by Jaelin Williams with six, Shane Edwards with five, and Alex Fultz (Cincinnati, Ohio/Green Este) added four. 

The contest was a closely fought battle until the end when a Simpson College layup broke the 67-67 tie, with less than five seconds to play.  This was the only loss of the tournament for the Tigers and the first loss of the season. 

They continue their season with a conference battle at Wabash on December 2 at 7:30 p.m. 

Written By: Sam Klarer