CLEVELAND, Ohio – The 2012-13 Wittenberg men's basketball season started on a high note, as a fresh-faced Tiger team handed Johns Hopkins University a 61-44 defeat at the opening game of the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Memorial Tournament hosted by Case Western Reserve University.

In the first-ever meeting between Wittenberg and Johns Hopkins, the Tigers took some time to get rolling, but by the time they tied the game at 12-all with 11:31 left in the first half, the game was under control.

For two of the Tigers' starting five, being on the floor for the tip-off was a brand new experience. Junior Cole Bond (Canton, Ohio/St. Thomas Aquinas) and sophomore Sam Collins (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) each made their first career starts against Hopkins, while juniors Zack Leahy (Rossford, Ohio/Rossford) and Scott Masin (New Carlisle, Ohio/Bethel) each started for just the fourth time. Junior Steven Newell (Englewood, Ohio/Northmont) brought the most experience to the floor with 33 career starts under his belt.

While that may have contributed to a slow start for Wittenberg, the Tigers ably shook off the shrinkwrap on the new season and led 27-18 at the intermission. Every facet of play improved in the second half, where Wittenberg shot an impressive 60 percent from the floor and 8-of-9 at the free throw line.

Leahy went on to finish 4-of-9 from the floor with a team-best 13 points, followed by Collins with 12 and Masin with 11. Leahy and Collins each shot 3-of-4 form the floor in the second half.

Bond contributed a team-high seven rebounds in the contest, followed by Masin with six. Other significant contributers included Newell and sophomore Ben Syroka (Toledo, Ohio/Whitmer), who each hit two three-point shots and finished with six points.

Defensively, the Tigers limited Johns Hopkins to 36 percent shooting overall and 19 percent (3-of-16) from three-point range.

A handful of student-athletes made their varsity debuts, including freshman Teddy Kremchek (Cincinnati, Ohio/Indian Hill) (4 points, 3 rebounds), freshman Alex Fultz (Cincinnati, Ohio/Glen Este) (5 points, 1 rebound), sophomore John Albertson (Morrow, Ohio/Little Miami) (4 points, 3 rebounds) and freshman Jordan Allen (Cleveland, Ohio/Shaker Heights).

With the win, the Tigers advance to the championship game where they will face the hosts, the Spartans of Case Western Reserve, at 7 p.m. Saturday. Head to www.WittenbergTigers.com for live stats and live video of the game.