CLEVELAND – Despite a team-high 18 points from sophomore forward Dane McLoughlin (Westerville, Ohio/St. Charles Preparatory), the Case Western Reserve University men's basketball team fell to Wittenberg University by a score of 69-52 in the championship game of the 2012 Stephanie Tubbs Jones Memorial Tournament inside Horsburgh Gymnasium.
The Spartans fall to 1-1 and will open a brief two-game road stint at Denison University on Tuesday, November 20 at 7:00 p.m. in Granville. The Tigers improve to 2-0 with the win.
McLoughlin, who was tabbed to the all-tournament team, shot 6-of-8 from three-point range and tallied six rebounds and three blocks. In addition, senior forward Austin Fowler (Farmington Hills, Mich./Birmingham Brother Rice) totaled 10 points, nine rebounds and three steals.
Wittenberg wing Sam Collins, the tournament Most Valuable Player, just missed a triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Tiger center Scott Masin added 20 points and 12 boards.
The Spartans scored the first eight points of the contest, and McLoughlin hit his second triple of the span to make the lead 8-0 at the 16:58 mark. Wittenberg scored nine of the next 12 markers and pulled within two when Cam Walton connected on a three-pointer at 11:46, but the Spartans rebuilt the advantage to six, at 21-15, following another McLoughlin three-pointer at 4:55.
However, the Tigers rallied with a 10-3 spurt to regain the lead at 25-24 as Alex Fultz hit a layup with 2:27 left before the break. The two sides exchanged scores over the duration of the period, and Wittenberg went into the locker room with a 31-28 advantage.
In the second half, Case scored a pair of early three-pointers and pulled within one at 35-34 when McLoughlin hit a three at 16:58. The Tigers then created some breathing room with a 9-3 run that made the score 44-37 as Walton hit a jumper with 12:35 left to play. The Spartans briefly got to within four, 44-40, following a layup from sophomore forward Brian Klements (Willoughby Hills, Ohio/Willoughby South), but Wittenberg answered with a 12-3 run that ended in two Zack Leahy free throws at 7:04.
The Spartans weren't able to trim their deficit below 11 the rest of the way, and the Tiger lead grew to a high of 19 at both 67-48 and 69-50.