The Tigers turned their streak into three wins after an on-the-road victory Wednesday night. The Tigers beat Wabash 67-51, after suffering from a 52-50 home loss to the Little Giants earlier this season. This win was built off another conference victory over Allegheny that was played on Jan. 24.
The night proved a strong offense for the Tigers, as 10 of the 11 players each contributed to the offense. It was clear the Wabash defense was trying to shut down sophomore Jaelin Williams after his 18-point performance in the first Witt-Wabash go-around back on Dec. 3. The Little Giants proved to be unsuccessful, as Williams led the offense with 20 points. Williams was joined by sophomore Cody Phillippi in double-digit scoring, who added 13 points to the final score.
Even with the solid offensive effort on the night, the field percentage for the Tigers was less than average, with the team shooting only 38.2 percent. This less than desirable statistic still kept the Tigers in front, as Wabash only accumulated a 36.7 shooting percent from the field. 16 points came from the Wittenberg bench, the final margin of the score, compared to just three points from the Wabash bench.
Another separating statistic came from turnovers, with Wittenberg forcing 11 Wabash turnovers and Wittenberg turning the ball over 10 times. Wittenberg was able to put up 21 points off of the 11 Wabash turnovers, while Wabash was only able to add nine points from the 10 turnovers.
A standout percentage for this Tiger team was their 85.7 percent from the free throw line. This has been an area the team has struggled with since the beginning of the season and has struggled with the last few games. This percentage ranks as one of the highest the team has been able to produce all year.
The Tigers out-rebounded the Little Giants 40-30. Freshman Chris Sloneker led with seven rebounds, with Williams adding in six, and sophomore Shane Edwards chipping in five.
This conference win brings the Tigers to a 7-11 overall record and a 5-6 record in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). The Tigers will travel to Denison on Saturday, Jan. 31, and will then return home to host Ohio Wesleyan on Wednesday, Feb. 4.
