The Wittenberg Tigers jumped out to a 9-0 lead to open the game and used a record-breaking three-point barrage by senior Chris Sullivan (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) to secure a 67-57 victory over Washington & Jefferson in the first round of the UR/HIA Tournament, hosted by Rochester University.
Outside of Sullivan's 9-of-18 shooting from the field, Wittenberg actually struggled for a second straight game at the offensive end, managing just 10-of-37 shooting, including 2-of-12 from long distance. The Tigers made up for it by forcing 21 Washington & Jefferson turnovers and narrowly winning the rebounding battle, 39-37. Wittenberg also enjoyed a significant advantage from the free throw line, making 19-of-28, compared to 7-of-12 for the Presidents.
Five other Wittenberg players scored at least six points in the game, including sophomore Cameron Walton (Waterville, Ohio/Anthony Wayne) with a career-best eigtht points in 18 minutes off the bench, and junior Alex Brandt (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy) with six points and nine rebounds in his first start of the season. Also of note was the performance of sophomore Ian Quick (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville), who contributed six points and seven rebounds in his first start since transferring to Wittenberg from Mount Vernon Nazarene.
The win moved the Tigers to 1-2 overall on the young season, while Washington & Jefferson dropped to 2-3.