No. 5 Tigers Take Down Kenyon From The Road

Gambier, OH - The No. 5 Wittenberg men's basketball team traveled to Kenyon College on Saturday afternoon, taking down the Lords, 83-63, earning their second lopsided victory of the week. The Tigers had four players score in double-figures on the day, led by James Johnson finishing with 20 points for his fourth 20+ effort of the season. Johnson knocked down 7 of 13 from the floor, including 5 of 8 from beyond the arc, pulling down six rebounds and dishing out two assists. Wittenberg converted on 48 percent (25 of 52) from the floor on the day, making the most of their opportunities from the charity stripe, hitting on 23 of 28 attempts. Connor Seipel finished with 17 points, finishing a rebound shy of yet another double-double, reeling in nine boards, while serving up a season-high six assists. 

Game Breakdown

The two sides kept it close as the Tigers and Lords traded triples through the early going. A three from Landon Martin off the Johnson assist brought the game to 10-10 at 14:00. A two-minute scoring drought by the Tigers gave the Lords a 17-11 advantage after Seipel converted on one of two free throws. Wittenberg stormed back after back-to-back made three's by Brice Hill, bringing Wittenberg to within three, down 21-18. The Tigers continued their surge starting with a Jake Bertemes lay-up, followed by a Johnson triple. Another made Bertemes layup with just under five minutes in the half gave Wittenberg the 25-24 advantage. The two sides continued to go back and forth down the stretch, as Johnson rattled home another three, giving Wittenberg the 28-27 lead with just over three minutes in the half. A pair of made free-throws from Seipel and then a pair from Bertemes at the end of the half helped give Wittenberg the 36-32 advantage, heading into the break. Hitting his fourth three of the game, Johnson kickstarted the second-half scoring effort for the Tigers right out of the gate. Wittenberg quickly took their lead out to 10 points after five minutes expired from the second half clock. The two sides traded baskets, with Wittenberg maintaining their lead coming off another three from Hill with 10 minutes remaining in the game. Wittenberg shot nearly 57 percent from the floor in the second half, knocking down 4 of 9 from beyond the arc. Seipel came alive in the second half, posting 12 of his 17 points in the final 20 minutes of action.  

From The Bench

"We kind of hung in there the first half when shots weren't falling and Kenyon executed well. The second-half performance by the guys was great and we got some things turned around," said Head Coach Matt Croci.

UP NEXT

Wittenberg will return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 12 traveling to Ohio Wesleyan University. Tip-off against the Battling Bishops is set for 7:00 PM.