Tigers Take Down Previously Unbeaten John Carroll

SPRINGFIELD, OH - The Wittenberg Tigers earned what they hope is a statement win over John Carroll, improving to 7-1 overall and 2-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) after staging a late rally to pull out an 80-79 victory.

The win over the previously unbeaten Blue Streaks, who were playing at Pam Evans Smith Arena for the first time as a league rival of Wittenberg, was the Tigers' biggest under second-year Head Coach Darren Hertz. The loss dropped John Carroll, which came into the game averaging 99 points per game, to 5-1 on the season.

"Really proud of our guys," Hertz said. "It was a hard-fought game with both competing at a high level. I thought our guys showed some serious heart down the stretch."

In Hertz's first season at Wittenberg, the injury-riddled Tigers took several nationally ranked or league-leading opponents to the wire but couldn't make the big plays at the biggest moments. Against John Carroll, the Tigers put together a tremendous first half to take a 40-34 lead into the locker room, only to see the Blue Streaks erase that with six straight points to open the second half.

From there, John Carroll's suffocating full court press did plenty of damage, forcing turnovers and speeding up the action as the Blue Streaks pushed their lead to as many as six points. But the Tigers wouldn't go away, setting the stage for a thrilling final minute.

After a phenomenal block by Eddie Brown (Lewis Center, OH / Olentangy Orange) and the score tied at 77, Kyle Kenney (Centerville, OH / Centerville) converted on a tough left-handed layup in traffic with 28 seconds left. John Carroll's Luke Chicone responded with a similar type of finish at the other end to tie the game with eight seconds left, but Brown had the ultimate answer, drawing a foul with three seconds left and hitting one of his free throws to account for the final margin of victory.

Tyler Galluch (Springfield, OH / Catholic Central) led the way for Wittenberg offensively with 21 points, thanks in large part to a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line. Kenney was clutch with 15 points off the bench, Noah Frayer (Odenton, MD / SPIRE Academy) added 13 points, and Brown finished with 12 to go along with a game-high 12 rebounds.

John Carroll, which put all five starters in double figures offensively, shot 42% from the field, but the Blue Streaks were only able to force 12 Wittenberg turnovers, and they lost the rebounding battle to the Tigers by a 38-32 margin. John Carroll had forced four of its first five opponents into more than 20 turnovers.

While several players contributed to the Tigers' stellar ballhandling, of particular note was the play of Cal Bavineau (Dexter, MI / Dexter). He finished with six points, five rebounds, and three assists, but more importantly, he was not credited with a single turnover as the lead guard against the press. He was even better on the defensive end as he harassed Chicone into a 7-of-16 shooting performance and 21 points, three below his season average.

Written By: Ryan Maurer