Wittenberg Gives Division I University of Dayton All It Can Handle In 75-67 Exhibition Game Defeat

DAYTON, Ohio - Once the Wittenberg Tigers got over a bad case of the jitters, they proved that David and Goliath sometimes do belong on the same basketball court together. Providing the first opposition for the University of Dayton in its newly renovated arena, the Tigers hung tough with the Division I Flyers before eventually falling 75-67 in an exhibition game.

UD, the preseason No. 2 Atlantic 10 West Division choice in preseason balloting of the media and coaches, jumped out to a 22-6 lead midway through the first half but couldn't quite put the pesky Tigers away. Wittenberg, the two-time North Coast Athletic Conference regular season champions and the preseason NCAC favorite this year, rallied to tie the game at 45 before getting outscored 30-22 in the final eight minutes of the game.

Senior forward B.J. Harris (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins) led all players with 22 points and 13 rebounds. He scored the Tigers' first six points, and he showed the same kind of form he had a year ago when he was a first-team all-conference choice. He was the only Tiger player to reach double figures in either statistic, although sophomore guard Danny Brywczynski (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont) also had an outstanding game with nine points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field and a team-high four assists.

Dayton, which started taller, heavier players at all five positions, put four players in double figures, led by senior Brooks Hall with 15. The Flyers won the rebounding battle, 40-38, but the difference in the game statistically was Dayton's ability to get to the free throw line, where they hit 17 shots, compared to seven for Wittenberg.