Hertz Tenure Opens with Tiger Men’s Basketball Win Over Alma

SPRINGFIELD, OH - In his first game on the sidelines as head coach of Wittenberg Men's Basketball, Darren Hertz led the Tigers to a hard-fought 73-65 win over visiting Alma College in a rare morning tip-off at Pam Evans Smith Arena. Hertz took the reins of the program in September after serving as an assistant coach at the University of Dayton since 2017.

A 12-4 run midway through the first half gave the visiting Scots a 25-17 advantage with eight minutes remaining until halftime. However, a steal by Eddie Brown (Lewis Center, OH/Olentangy Orange) led to a layup by Tyler Galluch (Springfield, OH/Central Catholic) followed by another bucket by Brown, a sequence that sparked Wittenberg's offense. With two minutes left in the first half, the Tigers had pulled even at 27-27, setting the stage for back-to-back treys from seniors Cameron Harrison (Eaton, OH/National Trail) and Trey Killens (Cincinnati, OH/Mason) in the final minute of the half that gave the Tigers a 34-32 lead going into the break.

Five minutes into second half action, a monster block by Dawson Scott (New Castle, IN/New Castle) resulted in a defensive rebound for Brown and a Wittenberg layup at the other end that increased Witt's lead to 46-41. The Scots continued to hang around, narrowing the Tigers' advantage to as close to one point with less than three minutes to play. That's when Killens took over the game, knocking down his second three of the afternoon. He went on to score nine of his 20 points in the final three minutes of the game.

In the final thirty seconds, two Harrison free throws sealed the game for Wittenberg. In a highly competitive game that never saw either team build a double-digit lead, there were a total of three ties and seven lead changes, but none came after halftime.

Killens posted a team-high 20 points, going 7-of-15 from the field, and he also grabbed five rebounds. Both Brown and Scott recorded double-doubles on the afternoon, as Brown hauled in 11 rebounds and recorded 12 points, and Scott scored 15 points and tallied 13 rebounds.

The Tigers will continue their non-conference slate as they return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 13, for an 8 p.m. tip at Muskingum, coached by former Wittenberg assistant Nathan Wahle. Last year, the Tigers won a close game between the two teams in a game played in Pam Evans Smith Arena.