SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — A 17-4 run over the final eight minutes of the first half staked Wittenberg to a 12-point halftime lead, and the Tigers kept the defensive pressure on from there en route to a 61-43 victory over visiting Wabash.
Wittenberg held Wabash 23 points below its season average in moving two games clear of the Little Giants in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) regular season standings. The 43 points allowed were a season-best for the Tigers, who improved to 13-3 overall and 7-0 in the conference as they neared the midway point of the regular season title chase.
The Little Giants started out well enough, taking an 11-8 lead in the early going. After a lay-up by Aaron Zinnerman at the 9:06 mark of the first half, Wabash was shooting 67 percent from the field and leading the Tigers by one point.
It was all Wittenberg from that point on, however, starting with a jumper by senior Jacob Weide (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) two minutes later. That jumpstarted the aforementioned 17-4 burst as six different Tigers scored at least one point.
Wabash then went nearly six minutes without a point to start the second half — by then the lead had stretched to 20 points. The Tigers pushed the advantage out to as many as 25 points before both teams emptied the bench. As Wittenberg missed six straight free throws over the final two minutes, Wabash closed with two fast break baskets to account for the final margin.
Wittenberg won the rebounding battle 33-25 and committed three less turnovers. Offensively, the Tigers shot 48 percent from the field, including an efficient 5-of-13 from three-point range, and they outscored Wabash by 15 from the free throw line. The Little Giants finished with a 38 percent shooting night, including just 4-of-22 from long distance.
Individually, senior Clayton Black (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) led both teams with 16 points, pushing his career total to 983. Sophomore Zack Leahy (Rossford, Ohio/Rossford) added 13 points off the bench. Also of note was the play of junior Cam Walton (Waterville, Ohio/Anthony Wayne), who added a pair of three-pointers in 14 effective minutes off the bench.
The Tigers may have a two-game lead in the NCAC, but the conference has never been deeper or more competitive. Wittenberg next faces a challenging road trip to Hiram, where the Tigers have lost three straight years. The game is scheduled for a 4 p.m. tip-off on Saturday, Jan. 21.