The Tigers improved to 17-2 overall and 9-1 in the North Coast Athletic Conference with the win and kept pace with Wooster atop the standings. The next contest for Wittenberg is 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 2, at Wabash. The last time these two teams faced off the Tigers won 59-40 in Springfield.
From the start of the game the intensity level was high for both teams. Denison's mindset was to defeat Wittenberg on their home court for the first time in more than 50 years, but the Tigers had other plans for the Big Red. Denison trailed Wittenberg, 9-8, in the first seven minutes of the game. Then the Tigers' offense came alive with a 19-2 run coming out of a timeout. In racing out to a 30-point lead by halftime, Wittenberg had runs of 16-0 and 14-0.
Four Wittenberg players contributed 50 of the 87 points Wittenberg scored in the game. Junior post Dane Borchers had a team-high 15 points, shooting 6-of-7 from the field. Two players added 12 points each for the Tigers, senior wing Andy Bucheit, who also went 6-of-7 from the field, and junior wing Kenny Brady, who shot 4-of-5 from the field on the day. Finally, senior guard Kenny Molz added 11 points.
Offense was not the only thing Wittenberg dominated over Denison. Rebounding was a key factor is this match up, with the Tiger outrebounding the Big Red 48-21. Led by junior Dane Bourchers contributing 8 rebounds.
The Big Red got a game-high 17 points from sophomore Dan Izzo. Denison drops 8-10 overall and 5-5 in the NCAC.