Tigers Rebound In Second Half To Top Wabash

CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. – The Wittenberg Tigers won their fourth straight game. But it was anything but easy.

For the second straight game, the Tigers were taken to the wire by an opponent with an inferior record. After escaping Denison with a 79-78 victory on Saturday, Wittenberg again pulled away in the second half, this time downing host Wabash 50-45.

The win moved the Tigers to 12-4 overall and 5-2 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). Wabash, which had beaten Wittenberg four straight years on its home floor, dropped to 4-11 overall and 2-4 in the conference.

Neither team could find the range offensively, as Wittenberg made just 36.7 percent of its shots from the floor, including 4-of-18 from three-point range, and the Tigers managed a mere 45.5 percent from the free throw line. But at the other end of the court, Wabash was limited to 29.4 percent shooting.

The biggest difference in the game was rebounding, as Wittenberg parlayed a 45-29 advantage into a 26-14 edge in points in the paint and a 12-6 edge in second-chance points. Over the final 20 minutes, the Tigers asserted their dominance in the paint by a 28-12 rebounding margin, which helped them overcome a five-point halftime deficit.

Junior Scott Masin (New Carlisle, Ohio/Bethel) posted his fifth double-double in the last six games and his eighth in 16 games this season. He led both teams with 19 points and 13 rebounds, with most of his damage done in the second half as he poured in totals of 12 points and 10 rebounds after the intermission.

Junior Zack Leahy (Rossford, Ohio/Rossford) added eight points and senior Cam Walton (Waterville, Ohio/Anthony Wayne) came up big off the bench with eight points, four rebounds and three steals.