Bridgewater, VA - The No. 3 Wittenberg men's basketball wrapped up finals week and hit the road, traveling to Bridgewater College, taking down the host Eagles 96-74 on day one of the Don Glick Classic. Connor Seipel nearly ended the first half by tallying his fifth double-double of the season, taking 18 points and nine rebounds into the intermission for the Tigers. Seipel led the Wittenberg scoring effort, finishing with 26 points, knocking down 9 of 11 from the floor with 11 rebounds, dishing out four assists, blocking three shots. James Johnson was the Tiger's second double-figure scorer at the break, adding 10 points with four rebounds and two assists heading into intermission. Jake Bertemes came out in the second half adding nine points to his total, finishing the day with 14 points, knocking down 6 of 10 from the floor. The Tigers knocked down 51 percent of their shots from the floor and 40 percent from beyond the arc. 

Game Breakdown

Wittenberg put their first points on the board, as Johnson knocked down a corner three-pointer assisted by Jordan Pumroy. The Tigers pushed past a Bridgewater advantage through the early going, as Seipel finished the inside dish from Rashaad Ali-Shakir, giving Wittenberg the 13-12 lead with just under 15 minutes in the first half. Wittenberg and Bridgewater battled back and forth through the first half, as the Tigers took a 43-37 lead into the break. Wittenberg knocked down 48 percent of their attempts from the floor, leading the rebounding column 20-19. The Wittenberg defense forced eight Bridgewater turnovers with four Wittenberg steals through the first-half leading to 11 Tiger points. Wittenberg continued their hot run coming out on a 13-4 run through the first four minutes of the second half, extending their lead out to 56-41. Wittenberg put the pedal down throughout the second half, knocking down 54 percent of their shots, including 53 percent from deep range. Johnson poured on 14 second-half points, knocking down all four shots from beyond the arc, finishing the half 5 of 8 from the floor with five rebounds. 

From The Bench

"It took us some time to get into a rhythm, credit to them [Bridgewater] for that. I am proud of how we responded and for the toughness, we showed to keep grinding until things turned our way," said Head Coach Matt Croci. 

UP NEXT

Wittenberg will close out the Bridgewater Don Glick Classic on Sunday, Dec. 15 against Eastern Mennonite University with a 1:00 PM tip-off.