Tigers Fall On The Road At MSJ

Springfield, OH – The Wittenberg Men's Basketball team returned to action on Thursday afternoon, traveling to Mount St. Joseph University for a match-up with the Lions. This was the fourth time the two sides have faced-off and their first meeting since 2019, the Tigers fell to the Lions in the back and forth battle, 63-59. Wittenberg was led by Josh Tolliver in the scoring effort, posting 17 points with five rebounds to his credit. Both would go down as season and career-highs for the first-year Tiger. Brice Hill and Jeff Queen each added 10 points apiece for the Red and White. Queen reeled in a season-high five boards off the defensive glass, converting on 3 of 7 from the floor. Hill posted three rebounds, knocking down two big shots from beyond the arc and dishing out four assists.

It was a tight battle, as the final seconds ticked away and the Tigers were forced to send the Lions to the line, only down 62-59. Through the early going, Wittenberg jumped out to an early 10-3 lead over the Lions with buckets from Tolliver and then Harrison Gough. MSJ found the friendly roll on their home iron, fighting back to regain the lead for a short stint. Ridge Young would tie things up at 24-24 with just under five minutes remaining in the first half. Jeff Queen buried the triple off the assist from Levi Boettcher, putting Wittenberg back on top, 27-26. Wittenberg put together a near 48 percent shooting percent from the field to start the game. Tolliver converted on 5 of 6 from the floor, posting 11 of his 17 points.

At the break, Wittenberg trailed MSJ 34-31 the Tigers traded blows with the Lions. Cutting into the MSJ lead, Hill hit the equalizing triple, knotting things up with just under 13 minutes at 45-45. It was a continues back-and-forth battle, with another big Hill basket putting Wittenberg ahead 53-52, with 7:13 left in regulation.

NCAC LEADERS

Martin holds steady amongst the top five scorers in the conference, averaging 17.7 points per game. Martin has also ranked himself fifth in the NCAC for FG%, knocking down 55.6 percent of his attempts. Ridge Young and James Johnson hold down the top two spots in the conference for 3-Point shooting percentage.

UP NEXT

Wittenberg will return home to Pam Evans Smith Arena and returning to North Coast Athletic Conference action, hosting Oberlin College on Monday, January 3 at 6:00 PM.