No. 13 Tigers Fall To No. 25 Wooster

Photo Credit | Trent Sprague
Photo Credit | Trent Sprague
January 12, 2019
Audio Box Score

Springfield, Ohio – The No. 13 Wittenberg men's basketball team suffered their second straight loss of the week, falling to North Coast Athletic Conference rival Wooster, 73-65. In an evening that was full of basketball history and tradition on and off the court, as the Tigers celebrated by welcoming back all the Wittenberg basketball alumni to dawn the Red and White once before. The buzzing, Pam Evans Smith Arena showcased a back and forth battle between two of d3hoops.com top 25 teams, meeting for a 117th time in program history, as the Scots added to their advantage in the series over Wittenberg, 57-60. Wittenberg moves to 11-4 on the season and 5-3 in NCAC action.

Game Breakdown

The two D3hoops heavyweights traded blows through the early going before the Tigers took their first lead of the game on a Landon Martin three-pointer with just over 11 minutes to play in the first half. The back and forth continued as Mitchell Balser provided a Wittenberg momentum swing later in the first half, knotting the game back at 20-20. Wittenberg extended their lead out to as many as 10-points in the first half, leading the Scots 36-26, before taking the 36-28 lead into the break. Wittenberg held onto their lead through the early going of the second half, while the Scots cut the Tiger lead to 48-46 with just over 12 minutes left in regulation. The Scots regained the lead for the first time since the first half, with 9:55 left in the game, forcing Wittenberg to bring it back to even at 54-54 with just over 8 minutes remaining, A flurry of Wooster baskets went unmatched down the stretch, as the Scots would hold a 69-59 lead over the Tigers with just 2:25 left in the game. A late three-point shot by James Johnson would cap off a late Wittenberg rally, cutting the Wooster lead to 69-65.

Who Stood Out

Connor Seipel recorded his ninth double-double of the season, netting 18 points with 10 rebounds while picking up three assists, a steal, and a block. Balser finished the night as the second leading scorer for the Red and White, posting 15 points, and pulling down one rebound, dishing out two assists and picking up two steals. After going a perfect 12-12 from the line on Wednesday night on the road at Wabash, Balser continued his hot streak from the line by on knocking down his first five attempts on the night, improving to 17 consecutive free-throws made. Martin and Johnson each finished with seven points while pulling down five rebounds apiece.

From The Bench

The Thread

UP NEXT

Wittenberg will travel to Ohio Wesleyan on Wednesday, Jan. 16 to take on the Battling Bishops in an NCAC showdown at 7:00 PM.