Tigers Streak Stops at 22 With Loss to Hiram
#3 Wittenberg men’s basketball suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday. The Tigers streak ended at 22 straight wins, as the Terriers of Hiram undercut Wittenberg 94-71.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
30 | 41 | 71 |
|
|
40 | 54 | 94 |
Team Stats
Hiram
| Game Statistics | Wittenberg | Hiram |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (23-52) | (35-58) |
| Field Goal % | 44.2% | 60.3% |
| Rebounds | 22 | 35 |
| Assists | 9 | 17 |
| Turnovers | 15 | 14 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 11 | 16 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 11 | 12 |
| Pts in the Paint | 26 | 46 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 6 | 6 |
| Bench Pts | 15 | 31 |
HIRAM, Ohio—#3 Wittenberg men's basketball suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday. The Tigers streak ended at 22 straight wins, as the Terriers of Hiram undercut Wittenberg 94-71. Hiram shot a blistering 60.3% from the floor in the game, as the Tigers did not have an answer for an opponent for the first time in 2017-18. Wittenberg moves to 22-1 (15-1) with two regular season games remaining, while Hiram now sits at 14-9 (10-6) overall.
HOW IT HAPPENED: Wittenberg led 3-0, and would not lead for the rest of the contest, as the Tigers trailed by ten at the break, 40-30. Mitchell Balser made one of his six three-pointers of the day with 18:12 remaining in the second half, as the Tigers then trailed 46-35. Rashaad Ali-Shakir connected on a layup with 14:43 remaining in the game, as Hiram led 59-41. With two minutes remaining in the game, Colton Bachman entered the game and immediately connected on a three-pointer to cut Hiram's lead to 84-70. At the final horn, the Tigers found themselves on the wrong end of the NCAC matchup, falling to Hiram 94-71.
WHO STOOD OUT: Balser's 24 points led the Tigers, while Jacob Bertemes (13) and Chad Roy (11) also notched double-digit scoring outputs on Saturday. Roy and Landon Martin each pulled down three boards apiece, leading the Tigers. Balser's big offensive day featured six of eight shooting from beyond the three-point line, as the junior went eight of 13 from the field on the day.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Hiram shot the lights off against the Tigers from the field, as Wittenberg shot 44% from the floor. Wittenberg pulled down 22 boards in the game, while Hiram outdid the Tigers with 35 rebounds. Leading by as many as 23 in the game, the Terriers forced Wittenberg into 15 turnovers and scored 12 second chance points.
FROM THE BENCH: "Hiram played well and shot the lights out. We did neither. Sometimes you're the bug and sometimes you're the windshield," said Coach Croci.
UP NEXT: Wittenberg is back in action Wednesday night at Ohio Wesleyan. Tip-off in Delaware is set for 7:30 P.M.