Tigers Pull Away From Wabash For NCAC Victory

CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. - The Wittenberg Tigers have rarely found the going easy at Chadwick Court on the campus of Wabash College. But for the second straight year, the Tigers got the job done in the most hostile of road environments in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), securing a 60-46 victory over the Little Giants.

The win was Wittenberg's fourth in a row and moved the 16th-ranked Tigers to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the NCAC on the season. Wabash, which won four straight home games against Wittenberg between 2009 and 2012, fell to 0-6 overall and 0-1 in the league.

It took a little more than nine minutes for the Tigers to begin to pull away. A lay-up by senior Scott Masin (New Carlisle, Ohio/Bethel) gave Wittenberg a 12-11 lead at the 10:37 mark of the first half, sparking a game-changing 15-6 run the staked the Tigers to a 25-17 lead with five minutes left before the intermission.

By halftime, Wittenberg's lead had expanded to 33-22. The Little Giants could get no closer than nine points the rest of the way.

The Tigers shot 49 percent from the field while holding the Little Giants to a woeful 30 percent on 16-of-54 attempts. Neither team shot well from the free throw line, with Wittenberg making just 12-of-23 and Wabash finishing under 50 percent at 6-of-13.

Wittenberg held a 36-33 rebounding advantage, with senior Cole Bond (Canton, Ohio/St. Thomas Aquinas) leading the way with 10 boards. Masin added nine rebounds to go along with a game-highs of 17 points and four assists.

Junior Sam Collins (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) added 15 points for the Tigers, who return home to face Allegheny at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, in Pam Evans Smith Arena.