Wittenberg Women's Advances To NCAC Semifinals

The Wittenberg women’s basketball team advanced to the NCAC Tournament semifinals defeating the Terriers of Hiram College 78-68 on Tuesday evening.

Wittenberg Women's Advances To NCAC Semifinals
February 20, 2018
Box Score

Springfield, Ohio – The Wittenberg women's basketball team advanced to the NCAC Tournament semifinals defeating the Terriers of Hiram College 78-68 on Tuesday evening. Wittenberg finished with three players posting double figures in the scoring column, as the Tigers jumped out to a quick 41-23 lead at the half. Junior Sydney Mayle recorded her third double-double of the season with 18 points, adding 10 rebounds. The Tigers were led by freshman Delaney Williams scoring 20 of her 24 points in the second half. Kristie Kalis came off the bench to record 18 points and reel in five points for Wittenberg. The Tigers improve to 23-6 in NCAC quarterfinal games with a 46-20 overall NCAC Tournament record.

 

HOW IT HAPPENED

Wittenberg jumped out to an early 20-14 lead after the first quarter, converting on 44 percent of their attempts from the field. The Tigers knocked down three of five open looks from beyond the arc through the first ten-minutes of action. Mayle shot lights out to start the game with 13 points on five of five shooting from the field. Wittenberg slowed the Hiram offense to just nine points in the second quarter of action, holding the Terriers to 27 percent shooting from the field through the half. The Tigers maintained a 41-21 lead at the half, as Mayle and Kalis were the first to reach double-digits. The two sides battled back and forth in the third quarter with Hiram narrowly winning the quarter 21-19. After a quiet first half with only four points, Williams found her shot, scoring nine points on three of four from the field. Adding 11 points in the final quarter, Williams finished with six rebounds, six assists and a steal on her line. As Hiram attempted to creep back in the game over the final two quarters, Wittenberg held the Terriers to just 19 percent shooting from the field in the final ten-minutes of play.

 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Wittenberg converted on 23 of 54 attempts from the field, knocking down 50 percent of their looks from deep range. The Tigers held Hiram to 27 percent from the field on the night as the Terriers put up 80 attempts from the floor. Wittenberg won the inside game, scoring 26 points in the paint and pulling down 46 rebounds. The Tigers forced 18 Hiram turnovers on the night, leading to 12 Wittenberg points.

 

FROM THE BENCH: "It was a tough matchup tonight against the Terriers of Hiram College. We knew it would be. Really proud of how our team found a way to pull out the win. We will enjoy this win tonight and then get back in the gym and prepare tomorrow," said coach Kelly Mahlum.

 

UP NEXT: Wittenberg will be back in action on Friday, February 23 when they travel to top seed DePauw University at 5:00 PM.