Bridgewater, VA – The No. 3 Wittenberg men's basketball team locked down on defense in the second half, taking down East. Mennonite University 80-59 on day two of the Don Glick Classic from Bridgewater College. East. Mennonite tried to keep it close in the first half, as the Tigers maintained a 42-40 advantage at the half. The Red and White entered the game holding opponents to less than 65 points per game on average, as the Tiger offense converts on 50 percent of their field goal attempts from the floor through the first seven games. Wittenberg was led by Jordan Pumroy, opening the game knocking down 3 of 4 from beyond the arc for nine first-half points. Pumroy added six points to his total in the second half with two assists and a blocked shot. Three fellow Tigers joined Pumroy, posting double figures in the scoring column on the night. Connor Seipel tallied his sixth double-double of the season, putting up 12 points while pulling down 12 rebounds. Seipel added All-Classic team honors, putting up 34 points on the weekend knocking down 15 of 21 shots from the floor while pulling down 23 rebounds. Landon Martin put up 11 points, knocking down 5 of 8 from the floor with three assists and three rebounds. Rashaad Ali-Shakir provided 11 points with two assists and a steal, coming off the bench for the Red and White. James Johnson was the second Tiger to collect All-Classic honors, posting 32 points, knocking down 7 of 10 from deep range on the weekend. Johnson pulled down 15 rebounds between the two games, adding five assists with a steal and a blocked shot.

Game Breakdown

Wittenberg locked down on defense in the second half, holding EMU to just 19 points, allowing the Lions to convert on just 4 of 21 shots from the floor. The Tigers knocked down 48 percent of their attempts from the floor in the second half, converting on 8 of 10 trips to the charity stripe. Wittenberg forced 11 EMU turnovers in the second half, while winning the rebounding column 18-16 down the stretch. Wittenberg saw their largest lead of 27-points over the Lions with just over a minute remaining in the action, as the Red and White maintained a double-digit advantage throughout most of the second half. Wittenberg opened the game knocking down 48 percent of their attempts from the field, including 50 percent from beyond the arc. Jake Bertemes dished out four assists with two rebounds and a steal through the opening 20-minutes. Ali-Shakir put up eight points, coming off the bench, knocking down 2 of 3 from three-point range. Levi Boettcher put up seven points, knocking down 3 of 5 from the floor in the first half.

From The Bench

"We challenged the guys about the defensive effort during halftime and had a big second half on that end. We were really locked in," said Head Coach Matt Croci.

UP NEXT

Wittenberg returns home to Pam Evans Smith Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 18 for a 3:00 PM matchup against Hanover College.