Tigers Take #25 Denison to Overtime Before Falling 72-68

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio—Wittenberg men's basketball welcomed the #25 team in the land to Pam Evans Smith Arena on Saturday afternoon, and the Tigers had the Big Red of Denison on the ropes for most of the afternoon. Despite leading by as many as nine early on, Wittenberg did not let Denison hold the lead, controlling the tempo for most of the contest before the game was sent to overtime.  With under a minute remaining in regulation, senior Jaelin Williams hit a clutch fade-away three pointer in the face of a Denison defender to tie the game up at 63-63, where things would stay heading into overtime. Wittenberg could not seal the deal in the end, falling 72-68 at the end of overtime. 

GAME NOTES

• Denison led by as many as nine early on, but the Tigers held strong, tying things up at 54-54 after a Connor Seipel layup.  
• Williams clutch three pointer with under a minute left was followed up with a block by Williams that sent the ball to half-court, followed by the Springfield product stripping a driving Big Red guard to the basket before the team called a timeout.
• At the buzzer, the Tigers ran an inbounds play for Ryan Gallimore who missed a well contested reverse layup, sending the game into overtime.
• Wittenberg and Denison exchanged three's early on, before Denison was able to pull away and put the game out of reach in the overtime, remaining undefeated on the year.

KEY STATS

• The Tigers shot nearly 50% from the field on Saturday, and 30% from beyond the three-point arc, but Denison was able to knock down 12 three pointers in the Tigers loss, 52% from deep.
• Shane Edwards led the Tigers with 18 points, three rebounds, three assists, and three steals.

UP NEXT

• Wittenberg returns to action on December 19 against Kenyon at 7:30PM at home.