Men’s Basketball Holds on for 64-63 Win Over Wabash

CRAWFORDSVILLE, IN – In an important North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) battle, Wittenberg's men's basketball team was able to fend off a buzzer-beating attempt and hold on for a 64-63 victory over host Wabash at Chadwick Court on Wednesday night, Feb.18.

A big three-pointer by freshman Noah Frayer (Odenton, MD / SPIRE Academy) gave the Tigers the 64-61 edge with under 30 seconds to play. Wabash answered with a bucket of its own with less than 25 seconds to go. Spence Davidson (Lebanon, OH / Lebanon) then did a great job of taking care of the ball and letting time run down. He took a shot but missed, with the rebound coming down to the Little Giants, who had five seconds to get a last-second shot off at the other end of the court that missed the net.

With the win, Wittenberg improves to 17-7 overall and 10-5 in the NCAC with one regular season game remaining. Both teams were even in the NCAC coming into the game at 9-5. Denison sits atop the conference at 11-4, while John Carroll is also at 10-5 with Wittenberg, and DePauw is 9-5. The Tigers will be at John Carroll at 3 p.m. on Feb. 21, for the final game of the regular season.

With the loss, Wabash drops to 15-9 and 9-6 NCAC. It was the second time Wittenberg defeated the Little Giants this season after winning 73-65 at home in January.

Wittenberg started out behind in the first half, once down by nine at 18-9 with 8:46 remaining. However, behind the hot hand of Frayer, who scored 15 of his 19 points in the first half including a three-pointer just before the buzzer, the Tigers pulled within one score at 32-30 at the intermission. 

While the first half belonged to Frayer, the second was dominated by senior Eddie Brown (Lewis Center, OH / Olentangy Orange), who scored 12 of his 19 points in the second. He also led the team in rebounds with nine and in assists with two. 

After falling behind 44-39 in the early minutes of the second half, Witt's full-court man-to-man defense helped them tie things at 44-all at the 11:43 mark as part of a 16-4 run that would give them a 55-48 lead with 5:32 left to play. But the lead didn't hold up as Wabash went on a run of its own to come within 60-59 at the 2:40 mark. The teams traded buckets with Wittenberg making some key free throws down the stretch to hold on in the final minutes. 

There were just two ties and two lead changes in the game, with Wittenberg getting 34 points in the paint to just 20 for Wabash.

Tyler Galluch (Springfield, OH / Catholic Central) also scored in double digits for the Tigers with 10 points.

Team Comparison

• The Tigers shot 25-of-47 (53.2 %) from the field, 5-of-11 (45.5%) from three-point range, and 9-of-17 (52.9 %) from the line. Wittenberg also pulled down 23 rebounds, dished out four assists, and grabbed five steals.
• The Little Giants shot 20-of-48 (41.7%) overall, 5-of-16 (31.3%) from deep, and 18-of-19 (94.7%) from the charity stripe. Wabash had 26 rebounds, six assists, and six steals.

Written By: Cindy Holbrook