SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - It's deja vu all over again for the Tiger men's basketball team, as they fell in the home opener against OAC foe Ohio Northern by a 78-62 score. Following a year when Wittenberg started the campaign 1-5 with a difficult non-conference slate, Wittenberg found this year's schedule equally daunting.
On this night, hot shooting from the Polar Bears doomed the Tigers efforts right from the outset. ONU built a double digit lead late in the first half, compiling 44 points in a 60 percent shooting effort. Junior post Mark Snyder (Celina, Ohio/Parkway) tallied all 11 points to keep the Red and White in the game.
In the second half, Wittenberg fell behind further, allowing Northern to an 18-point lead quickly out of the intermission. However, the Tigers rallied to within 10 after three free throws from sophomore guard Chris Sullivan (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington). A 12-0 run for the Polar Bears changed the entire complexion of the contest, as Kurtis Brown spear-headed the dominant performance with 18 points.
Junior guard David Nowicki (Carmel, Ind./Westfield) found his touch from the floor in the second half, but his 15 points would not be enough for a Tiger rally. Freshman wing Clayton Black (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) scored a career-high 10 points on the night to round out double-figure scorers. ONU finished with a 58 percent clip from the field, including 7-14 shooting from downtown.
The Tigers fall to 1-3 with the loss heading into a tough contest at nationally ranked NAIA scholarship foe Cedarville. The two sides will clash beginning at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, at Cedarville.
Written By: Ben Bradley, SID Assistant