Men’s Basketball Deals Capital First Loss of Season, 67-63
COLUMBUS, OH – Wittenberg Men's Basketball squeaked out a narrow 67-63 win at Capital, in the process handing the host Comets their first loss of the season in a non-conference matchup at the Capital Center Performance Arena on Saturday, Nov. 22.
After a back-and-forth first half that saw seven lead changes, Capital grabbed a six-point lead at 36-30 at the half. The back-and-forth would continue into the second half with the Tigers trailing until a layup by Sam Miller (Ashville, OH / Teays Valley) put them back ahead at the 13:47 mark at 43-41. But the lead didn't last long as Capital went on a 10-2 run to take a 51-45 lead with just over 10 minutes remaining.
Wittenberg answered with a run of its own and took the lead again at the 5:46 mark to go up 54-53 on a jumper by Tyler Galluch (Springfield, OH / Catholic Central). There would be two more ties at 59 and 61 before the Tigers grabbed the lead for good. Galluch and Noah Frayer (Odenton, MD / SPIRE Academy) hit some timely free throws down the stretch to keep the Tigers ahead and claim their fourth victory in a row to improve to 4-1 on the season. The loss puts Capital at 4-1 on the season as well. It had been seven years since the two longtime Central Ohio rivals had last played a men's basketball game. In their last meeting in 2018, the Tigers claimed an 88-78 victory.
Galluch was the leading scorer for the Tigers for the second straight game, pouring in 24 points. Eddie Brown (Lewis Center, OH / Olentangy Orange) added 13, and Frayer tallied 11. Brown and Frayer led the team in rebounds, pulling down six each. Brown also had three steals.
Wittenberg shot 43.3 percent from the field (26-for-60), while Capital was 34.6 percent (18-for-52). The Tigers, who outscored Capital by 10 in the second half, had 32 rebounds to 38 for the Comets. There were seven ties and 11 lead changes in the game. The Comets also had 12 turnovers to just seven for the Tigers.
Next up for the Tigers is a home game against Marietta at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 26.
Written By: Cindy Holbrook