HIRAM, Ohio – December 3, 2022 – A hard-fought battle on both ends of the floor went in Hiram's favor on Saturday night, as the Terriers leveled their NCAC record at 1-1 with an 80-70 victory over Wittenberg.

Hiram dominated the glass and painted area through the night; they outscored their opposition 42-22 in points in the paint and outrebounded Wittenberg, 41-30. The conference game featured over 50 fouls between the two teams.

Junior Doug Sartain had a breakout performance with a season-high 23 points off the bench, including 4 three-pointers. Sophomores Trent Jakacki and Ivan Yang scored 15 points apiece, while Brodgie Gordon recorded a game-high 8 assists. The team's starting lineup combined for 8 of its 9 blocked shots.

The Terriers' victory was their first vs Wittenberg since February 10, 2018 at Price Gymnasium (won that game 94-71). They had lost their last six games against the Tigers dating back to 2019.

It also caps off another dominant day at Price Gymnasium for both basketball programs at Hiram; the men are a perfect 4-0 at home and the women are a perfect 3-0. No Hiram team has lost any game at home since February 2022.

It was a back-and-forth affair over the course of the game; there were 12 lead changes and 7 ties between the two teams. Wittenberg ended the first half on a 7-0 run to take a 35-29 lead into the intermission.

Momentum swung back to the home team in the last 20 minutes.

Hiram went on a 7-0 run of its own from 8:40 to 7:32 in the second half, giving it the lead back at 58-57. A few minutes later, Gordon and Yang combined for an 8-0 run by themselves, highlighted by a pair of three-point plays on driving layups to give the Terriers a 70-61 advantage with 4:26 left to play.

The decisive shot came from Sartain, who made a three-pointer from the top of the key to give Hiram a 73-63 lead. Gordon, who assisted Sartain on the play, raised his hand to celebrate the shot before it sunk through the Price Gymnasium net.

Hiram will seek a 5-0 record at home this season when it continues play on Wednesday against Kenyon from Price Gymnasium.