Women's Basketball Scores First Win of the Season

Written by: Sutton Jacobs '18

CHICAGO – The Tiger women's basketball team rebounded from their first game of the season won their first win of the season over North Park, 71-52. Wittenberg's high scoring margin was led by junior-transfer Riley Culver, who took control of the game with 23 points in 29 minutes of action. The Tigers finished with two scoring in double figures on the afternoon, as freshman McKenna Baker tallied 11 points scored coming off the bench. Returning letterwinner Korynne Berner grabbed six rebounds off the board while three other Tigers contributed five more apiece.

How It Happened: Sydney Mayle tossed the ball from behind the arc into the net to lead the game off for the Tigers. Wittenberg's lead was capped at six with several layups from Baker's hot hands, before North Park was able to real in the margin to end the quarter at 16-all. The Tiger squad shifted to defensive play, holding North Park to only one score in the first four minutes of the second. Mayle tapped in a layup to end the half in a close race, 27-15 with the red and white up on top. At the turn of the half, the Wittenberg offense exploded. Culver scored 11 points of her 23 in the third quarter alone, as Culver and company outscored the Vikings, 26-18. The Tigers balanced the final 10 minutes of action, scoring another 18 to close out the game, in addition to holding North Park starters to only three points.

Inside the Numbers: Wittenberg outpaced the Vikings, leading or tying in scoring through every quarter. Shooting 51.0% from the field on the evening to the Vikings' 40.4%, the Tigers cashed-in five shots from beyond the arc on 11 attempts, and fended off each of North Park's 14 attempts. North Park allotted 31 turnovers in Wittenbergs favor, allowing the Tigers to put up 24 points from the Vikings' errors. The Tigers were able to handle the ball effectively, tallying 16 assists and 35 total rebounds.

Up Next: Wittenberg continues their way through the North Park Tip-Off on Saturday Nov. 17, taking on the Blue Jays of Elmhurst College at 3:00 PM CST.

First @WittWBB win of the season, and more to come. The Tigers retake the court against Elmhurst tomorrow. Check out these stats from tonight. >> pic.twitter.com/TmgoDede1J

— Wittenberg Athletics (@WittAthletics) November 17, 2018