Cincinnati, Ohio—This afternoon the Mount St. Joseph University Men's Basketball program played host to the Tigers of Wittenberg. Coming into this game the Lions held a (4-5) overall record, dropping their most recent game, in close fashion, to Wabash. Wittenberg also carried a (4-5) overall record into the matchup, including a 101-73 loss at the hands of Wabash. In a closely contested ball-game the Lions were able to win by a final score of 63-59.
From the opening tip-off this game appeared to be a defensive battle. Wittenberg opened the scoring in the game, converting on their first lay-up attempt at the 19:34 mark. The Lions were able to later regain the lead, when Spencer Kinnett forced a Tiger turnover. On the fast-break that followed Willard Cluxton located Brady Thomas for a deep ball. This was the only scoring for the Lions until the 14:42 mark, with the Lions trailing 10-3.
Entering the game from the bench, David Lures provided a much need spark for the Lions. In his first attempt of the game Lures knocked down a deep-ball after a great pass from Cam Decker. A few possessions later the Lions pulled the deficit back to one, when Lures located Jack Kolar for another deep ball.
Wittenberg was able to respond, with a 5-2 run. However with the Lions living by the deep ball to start the game, they were able to minimize the Tigers run, as Lures found the bottom of the net from behind the arc.
At the 10 minute mark in the first half, the Lions were able to reclaim the lead, with another Thomas three-pointer. At this point in the first half of action both teams began trading buckets, the Lions were able to receive contributions to the scoring column from Gardner who poured on seven points in the final six minutes before the break. Lures also continued to offer a spark from the bench, closing the half with 10 points.
Entering the break the Lions led the Tigers by a score of 34-31.
The start of the second half, saw both teams struggle to register a score, until the 17:58 mark. At this point Lures was fouled from behind the arc and was able to make good on all three attempts from the charity stripe. This saw a trading of baskets by each team once again, including Tanner Clos scoring on consecutive possessions, helping the Lions open a five point lead.
Wittenberg was able to respond as the poured on four unanswered points, before Thomas was able to halt the potential run by the Tigers. Following the made bucket by Thomas, Wittenberg found the bottom of the net from behind the arc to tie the game at 45-45 with 13 minutes left to play.
The Lions were able to grab the lead back, when Cluxton threw a long cross-court pass to Devin Young, who was able to sky over a Wittenberg defender and score a tightly contested jump-shot. The Lions were able to force a stop on their next defensive possession and Kinnett was able to widen the lead, tipping a hotly contested ball into the basket. With the Lions now holding a 49-45 lead, the Tigers began to chip away at their deficit, assembling a 5-0 run to take a 50-49 lead.
With the game being so close, the team continued to exchange score, neither team gaining a clear advantage over the other. The key moment in the closing of the game, happened at the 2:58 mark, when Dayne Gardner pulled in an offensive rebound and finished a tightly contested lay-up. This gave the Lions a 60-57 lead. Wittenberg had not gone away just yet, nailing a pair of free-throws. After stops by both defenses the Lions were able to draw ahead once again, when Cluxton pulled down his own miss, finding Young at the top of the key who was able to identify a cutting Lures, for an easy lay-up.
After several stops by both teams in the final seconds of the game, Kinnett was finally able to put a nail in the coffin, making good on a free-throw attempt, that pushed the Lions ahead by four. Once the time on the clock expired, the Lions were able to finish their out of conference slate with a 63-59 win.
The Lions had several players turn in great performances on their way to a win. Lures had a standout afternoon, leading the Lions in scoring off the bench, recording 18 points on 6-9 shooting from the field. The pair of Thomas and Gardner rounded out the double digit scoring for the Lions, each scoring 10 individually.
With the out of conference slate out of the way for the Lions, they will now turn their focus to chasing a Heartland Conference title. This chase will begin on Saturday, January 1 at Defiance College. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 PM. For continued coverage of this upcoming game and all other MSJ sports, continue to follow msjlions.com
