Tigers Hold On Against Muskingum For Fourth Straight Win

Springfield, OH - In the first of two home games in the 2025 Wittenberg Holiday Classic, the Tigers went wire-to-wire to take a 57-49 win over Muskingum.

The Tigers improved to 6-2 with the win and stayed undefeated at home this season, while also extending their winning streak to four. With the loss, Muskingum falls under .500 with a 4-5 record with a chance to get back even with a matchup with Asbury on Day 2 of the Holiday Classic.

Thirty seconds into the game, Hope Orders (Grove City, OH / Bishop Ready) drained a three to beat the shot clock and light up the scoreboard. The basket also kickstarted a game-opening 9-2 run. The Tigers would go on to have their best offensive quarter of the game, as they took a 24-11 lead into the second quarter. In the second, the Tigers played extremely stout defense, as they held the Fighting Muskies to only six points, but were still held to 10 themselves, with Karsen Karlblom (Crystal Lake, IL / Prairie Ridge) scoring half of them. Karlblom led the team in scoring at halftime with 10 points, and the Tigers held a commanding 34-17 advantage going into the locker room.

Out of halftime, the Tigers struggled to extend their lead, only getting 10 shots off and only making two in the third quarter for a total of six points while Muskingum put up 19 to cut the Tiger lead to only four heading into the fourth. The Fighting Muskies ultimately cut the lead to two, but Karlblom extended the lead to five with a three-pointer. Muskingum kept the game close the rest of the way, but Tiger freshman Catherine Buddenberg (Elsmere, KY / Dixie Heights) was on fire from three, hitting all three of attempts from distance in the fourth quarter, including a deep range bomb to put the Tigers up 56-47 with less than three minutes remaining.

Team Leaders and Milestones

• Karlblom and Buddenberg led the team in scoring with 13 points each and Karley Moore (Tipp City, OH / Bethel) scored 10 to be the third Tiger in double-figures. Madi Barnett (Cincinnati, OH / Kings) became the first player to surpass 100 points on the season, as she scored eight and now stands at 103.
• Myah Johnson (Jeffersonville, IN / Jeffersonville) pulled down an impressive 10 rebounds to lead the team and Moore grabbed six of her own.
• Barnett was dropping dimes, pacing the team with four assists, while also leading the team in steals with three.

Team Comparison

• The Tigers went 21-of-55 (38.2%) from the field, 9-of-23 (39.1%) from deep, and 6-of-13 (46.2%) from the charity stripe. They grabbed 31 rebounds, dished out 10 assists, committed 14 turnovers and scored 14 points off Muskingum turnovers. Wittenberg also cashed in on 11 second chance points, 22 points in the paint, and 22 bench points.
• The Fighting Muskies went 19-of-48 (39.6%) overall, 4-of-20 (20%) from three-point range and 7-of-13 (53.8%) from the line. They pulled down 28 rebounds, logged six assists, committed 15 turnovers and scored 12 points after the Wittenberg turnovers. They were also able to score eight second-chance points, 30 in the paint and 12 from their bench players.

Next Up

The Tigers will be back in action on December 19 at 2 p.m. as they will take on Webster, which lost to Asbury 75-63 today, as they look to extend their win streak to five and go 2-0 over the two days of the Wittenberg Holiday Classic.

Story by: Grant Martin