Men's Basketball Falls 72-70 to NCAC Leader OWU

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio—Wittenberg men's basketball's streak of seven-straight wins ended on Wednesday night in Pam Evans Smith Arena. The streak was ended at the hands of NCAC leader Ohio Wesleyan, as the Tigers fell 72-70. The Tigers streak started way back on January 18, as the Tigers nearly completed one full month of competition without a loss. On Wednesday night, Wittenberg led by as many as eight, but could not overcome a late Battling Bishop surge to end the game. The Tigers received a major contribution off the bench from Connor Seipel, as the freshman-big recorded 17 points for Wittenberg, including 15 first half points. The Tigers move to 17-7 overall and 11-6 in league play with one regular season contest remaining.

GAME BREAKDOWN

• With 6:23 remaining in the first half, the Tigers and Battling bishops played to a 25-25 tie after a Cody Phillippi free-throw.  
• Seipel broke the tie for the Tigers with a layup off of an offensive-rebound to give the Tigers the 27-25 lead.
• Seipel scored four consecutive buckets for Wittenberg down the stretch, giving the Tigers a 41-35 lead heading into halftime.
• With 17:38 remaining in the second half, Wittenberg's lead grew to 47-40 after a Shane Edwards jumper.
• With 8:01 remaining in regulation, Wittenberg found themselves down 55-54 after a Phillippi layup.
• The Tigers and Battling Bishops were again tied at 61-61 with 3:54 remaining in the contest.
• Jaelin Williams splashed home a three-pointer with 2:12 remaining to give the Tigers a 67-63 lead.
• Down three with 20 seconds remaining in the game, Williams was fouled attempting a three pointer, connecting on two of three free-throw attempts as OWU lead 70-69.
• Phillippi tied the game up on a trip to the foul line at 70-70, but OWU would draw a foul with one second remaining, making both free throws as the Tigers fell 72-70.

KEY STATS

• Wittenberg saw balanced contributions across the board on Wednesday, as five Tigers recorded double-figures in the scoring column.
• The Tigers shot 46% from the floor as a team, while the Battling Bishops shot an even 50% on Wednesday night.
• Edwards filled the stat-sheet for Wittenberg, as the senior finished with ten points, seven boards, seven assists and one steal.
• The Tigers managed to only shoot 52% from the free-throw line in the loss, going 12-23 as a team.

UP NEXT

• Wittenberg travels to the College of Wooster for a 7:30PM for their regular season finale on February 18.
• The Tigers will host their opening round quarterfinal NCAC tournament game on Tuesday, February 21 in Springfield, as the Tigers opponent is yet to be determined.