Mens Basketball: Tigers Squeeze by Cavs 70-67 in Lutheran Invitational Tournament Opener

Both teams shot 41 percent from the field and notched 41 total rebounds. The Cavs committed 11 turnovers to just six for the Tigers.

Courtesy: Wittenberg Sports Dept.

TACOMA, Wash. - Led by 21 points by Keith Murray, Wittenberg defeated Concordia 70-67 in men's basketball action at the Pacific Northwest Lutheran Invitational Tournament held at Pacific Lutheran University on Friday.

With the loss, CU dropped to 4-2 on the season while Wittenberg evened its record to 1-1.

A Seth Hill fast-break layup with 10:35 left in the first period would put the Tigers up 19-13 for Wittenberg's largest lead of the game. Capped by a bucket deep in the paint by Jourdan Sweeney, the Cavs powered back with a13-2 run to create a seven-point lead of their own.

A Matt Ochs jumper with 58 seconds remaining would again make it a seven-point spread, but the Tigers would get the last answer with a David Nowicki three with two seconds left in the period for a 34-30 score at halftime.

With the greatest lead of the second half not growing past a five-point margin, neither team could pull away in the final 20 minutes of play. A Sweeney field goal at 7:23 left in the second would give the game its ninth tie while a follow-up free throw by the redshirt freshman would give the Cavs its final lead with the score 59-58.

The Tigers would retaliate with six straight points, punctuated by a three pointer by Chris Sullivan to take a 64-59 lead with six minutes remaining. Wittenberg would not release the lead the rest of the way.

Murray would lead the floor with 21 points off an 8-of-14 shooting night. Steven Vaughan led the Cavs with 15 points while teammate Dustin Hiebert also tallied a double-digit sum with a 13-point haul.

Both teams shot 41 percent from the field and notched 41 total rebounds. The Cavs committed 11 turnovers to just six for the Tigers.

Concordia returns to action on Saturday to face Concordia (Minn.) at 4 p.m. in the second and final day of action at the Pacific Northwest Lutheran Invitational Tournament.

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