The ninth-ranked Tigers won for the 14th straight time and improved to 19-2 overall and 11-1 in the NCAC with the victory, keeping pace with third-ranked Wooster atop the standings. Those two teams are on a collision course for a huge match-up on Saturday, Feb. 12, in Springfield. Wittenberg won the first meeting in Wooster, 69-51. Hiram, which is now 2-49 against Wittenberg all-time and has never claimed a win over the Tigers as NCAC foes, dropped to 3-18 overall and 2-10 in the conference.
Wittenberg never trailed in this one, building a commanding 45-27 halftime lead by hitting 61 percent of its shots, including 10-of-17 three-pointers. The second half was more of the same, with the Tiger reserves pouring it on at the end with three triples by sophomore wing Brandan Barabino and the record-breaker by freshman wing Lance Frank inside the final two minutes.
The Tigers were led by senior wing Andy Bucheit, made 6-of-10 from the field - all three-point attempts, and finished with 20 points to lead all scorers. He had plenty of support, including season-high point totals from junior wing Kenny Brady with 16 and sophomore guard Billy Bowen with 11, in addition to senior guard Kenny Molz and his 10 tallies. The Tigers finished the game hitting nearly 61 percent from the floor, including a blistering 21-of-35 clip from three-point range, and they also handily claimed the rebounding battle by a 41-28 margin.
Hiram was paced offensively by T.C. Spencer with 19 points, Allen Kirkpatrick with 11 and Chuck Williams with 10.