No. 2 Tigers Fend Off Little Giants

Photo Credit | Mackenzie Moran
Photo Credit | Mackenzie Moran
January 15, 2020
Box Score

Springfield, OH – It was an exciting North Coast Athletic Conference showdown at Pam Evans Smith Arena, as the No. 2 Wittenberg University men's basketball team took down the Little Giants from Wabash College, 84-74. Four Wittenberg Tigers tallied double figures on the night as the Red and White moved to 14-0 on the season and 7-0 in NCAC action. James Johnson finished the night just a point shy of his season-high, posting 23 points, knocking down 5 of 9 from the floor, including 2 of 3 from beyond the arc. Johnson grabbed eight rebounds with an assist and a steal to his credit while converting on 11 of 15 attempts from the charity stripe. Jake Bertemes put up a defensive wall for the Tigers, recording three blocked shots with three steals, going along with 12 points. Connor Seipel tallied his tenth double-double of the season, finishing with 16 points and 12 rebounds, adding three assists along the way.

Game Breakdown

It was a tight battle through the early going, as neither side gave much of an edge. Wittenberg captured a 38-26 lead at the half, knocking down 17 of 29 shots from the floor. The Tigers took their first lead of the game after Ridge Young drove his way to the Wabash bucket and drew the foul. The two sides continued to trade blows down the stretch of the first half, before Wittenberg found a streak of made baskets, capped off by a triple from Johnson, giving the Tigers a 33-26 advantage. Wittenberg fended off the Little Giants in the closing minutes of the game, as Seipel broke the Wittenberg scoring drought, keeping the Tiger lead at 62-53. Wabash fought back to within eight with under five minutes before Wittenberg would go on to lock down the victory from the free-throw line.  

From The Bench

UP NEXT

Wittenberg will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 18, traveling to the College of Wooster for the 120th meeting between the two schools. Tip-off against the Scots is set for 4:00 PM from Timken Gym.