Hard-fought Holiday Battle Ends in Heartbreak for Tigers

Wittenberg was relentless Tuesday night, but ultimately dropped a last-second decision to Heidelberg 73-70.

Junior Jaelin Williams and his 18 points lead the Tigers offense Tuesday night. File Photo|Nick Falzerano
Junior Jaelin Williams and his 18 points lead the Tigers offense Tuesday night. File Photo|Nick Falzerano
December 22, 2015
Box Score

TIFFIN, Ohio-- The Tigers dropped a 73-70 decision to Heidelberg in heartbreaking fashion Tuesday night. Despite trailing by as many as 13 points late in the game, Wittenberg was relentless on the court, clawing back to tie the game up with seconds left. Ultimately the Tigers effort's fell short, dropping the game on a buzzer-beating shot.

GAME BREAKDOWN

  • Wittenberg trailed 30-22 at the break, after going 1-9 from behind the three-point arc and turning the ball over six times.
  • Right out of the gates in the second-half, the Tigers pulled within three behind a Cody Phillippi (Xenia, Ohio/Xenia) and Shane Edwards (Perrsyburg, Ohio/Perrsyburg) pair of triples.
  • Despite trailing by as many as 13 with three-minutes left in regulation, the Tigers relentlessly clawed back lead behind Chad Roy (Toledo, Ohio / Holland Springfield) and Jaelin Williams (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee).
  • After exchanging fouls back and forth, Roy and Williams each netted a pair of free-throws and layups to get the lead down 68-65.
  • Following a Heidelberg turnover, Coach Brown called a timeout, leading to a Landon Hormann (West Liberty, Ohio / Salem) layup to cut the lead to 68-67 with 15 seconds left on the clock.
  • Heidelberg netted two free-throws with nine-seconds remaining, before Williams nailed a clutch three-pointer to knot the game up at 70-70.
  • With the comeback in full swing, the Tigers ultimately dropped the battle 73-70 at the final buzzer.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

  • The Tigers had three scorers in double-digits; Williams (18), Roy, (16) and Phillippi (13).
  • Phillippi found all 13 of his points coming in the second-half push.
  • Heidelberg lead by as many as 13 in a game that saw three ties and one lead change.

KEY STATS

  • Wittenberg shot 40-percent from the floor and 25-percent from three.
  • The Tigers dominated down low, outscoring Heidelberg 36-16 in the paint.
  • The rebounding advantage also went to Wittenberg, 43-33.

FROM THE BENCH

  • "Our guys really battled and closed the gap at the end of the game...we just came up short," Coach Brown said.

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Written By: Kuris Duggan