Wittenberg Outlasts Capital 63-60 in Back-and-Forth Affair

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Wittenberg men's basketball outlasted the Crusaders of Capital on Tuesday night in Columbus, as the Tigers were too much to handle on the boards down the stretch, dropping the OAC opponent 63-60. With 41 seconds remaining in the game, the Tigers found themselves tied at 58-58 after a pair of Jaelin Williams free-throws. The senior guard was not done, as the Springfield native completed the five-point swing for the Tigers, splashing home a three-pointer as time ticked away, giving the red and white a 61-58 lead. Capital hit a jumper their next offensive trip down the floor, but Tiger free-throws sealed the deal at the end of the day for Wittenberg, as the road victory puts the team at 3-1 in 2016 thus far.

GAME NOTES

• After coming out of the gates hot, Wittenberg and company saw a first half that featured ties and four lead changes, as the Tigers led 30-27 going into the break.  
• The Tigers shot nearly 43% from the floor in the opening period, as Cody Phillippi recorded eight of his 14 points in the first 20 minutes of action.
• The second half of action on Tuesday night was all about the Tigers ability to rebound and get second-chance opportunities against the Crusader zone.
• Wittenberg recorded offensive rebound after offensive rebound in the second half, as Chad Roy paced the Tigers with four.
• Down the stretch, Wittenberg led by as many as five, but the Crusaders would not go away, as the game saw 11 ties and 16 lead changes in all.

KEY STATS

• Phillippi and Roy each netted 14 points for the Tigers, while Roy pulled down eight rebounds, and Phillippi four.
• The Tigers leading scorer Ryan Gallimore was held to just one-basket on Tuesday night, but the sophomore's lone jumper gave the Tigers a 46-42 lead halfway through the second half.
• In all, the Tigers outrebounded the Crusaders 43-37, as the Tigers were able to pull down 16 offensive rebounds to Capital's 11.
• Oddly enough, the Tigers, who are averaging nearly 12 assists per contest only notched five in the win, as Shane Edwards paced the Tigers with two dimes.

FROM THE BENCH

• "This is a huge win for our guys…To go on the road and beat a really good Capital team says a lot about our toughness and pride," said Coach Croci.

UP NEXT

• Wittenberg closes the book on the non-conference portion of the 2016-17 schedule for the time being, as the Tigers travel to Meadville, Pennsylvania for a 1:00PM tip-off against the Gators of Allegheny in the NCAC opener.