Roundup: Tigers Start the Season Off With Mixed Results
The Tiger men's basketball team got off to a mixed start last weekend in the season-opening Kiwanis-Wittenberg Tip-Off Classic at the HPER Center, defeating Alma in the first round by a score of 99-58 but falling to Ohio Dominican in the championship game on Saturday by a final of 80-75.
The Tiger men's basketball team got off to a mixed start last weekend in the season-opening Kiwanis-Wittenberg Tip-Off Classic at the HPER Center, defeating Alma in the first round by a score of 99-58 but falling to Ohio Dominican in the championship game on Saturday by a final of 80-75. It was just the third time in 20 years that Wittenberg has lost a game in the annual tournament.
On Friday, the Tigers got out of the gates strong and buried a young and inexperienced Alma squad. Wittenberg set a record for three-point field goals in a game with 18, one short of the school mark but seven better than the tournament mark. Leading the charge was junior guard Rod Emmons (South Bend, Ind./John Adams) and junior forward Peter Walker (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier), both with four treys. Sophomore guard Danny Brywczynski (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont) added three on just three attempts. Walker was the team's leading scorer with 17 points, with Brywczinski adding 15, freshman forward Kenny Brady (Reading, Ohio/Reading) chipping in with 13 and Emmons finishing with 12.
In the championship game, Wittenberg was battling from behind the entire night and just couldn't pull ahead. Ohio Dominican had a huge advantage from the free throw line in the game, and the Panthers were tremendously accurate when they had opportunities. Senior forward B.J. Harris (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins) had 21 points to lead the Tigers, but it wasn't enough.
Walker and sophomore guard Andy Bucheit (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle), who had two solid games off the bench, were both chosen for the all-tournament team. The Tigers head right back into tournament play this weekend as they travel to Franklin, Ind. for a tournament at Franklin College. All four teams involved in the competition made appearances in the NCAA Division III tournament a year ago.