Staff report

Behind a career-high 26 points from junior Scott Masin, Wittenberg finally shook a particularly pesky monkey from its back with a 68-62 win at Hiram.

The Tigers, who had lost in their last four appearances in Hiram’s Price Gymnasium, cinched a three-way tie for fourth place in the final North Coast Athletic Conference regular season standings, sharing the spot with DePauw and Kenyon.

The Tigers enter the NCAC Tournament as the fifth seed, set to face fourth seed DePauw on Tuesday in Greencastle, Ind. It will be Wittenberg’s 24^th consecutive appearance in the conference tournament since joining in 1989-90.

Masin fell one rebound short of his 13^th double-double of the season, finishing with 26 points, nine rebounds and two steals. He went 8-of-12 from the field and tied a season high with 10 made free throws in 13 attempts.

The Tigers and Terriers played 40 minutes of tight basketball with neither team leading by more than six.

Hiram earned a six-point advantage late in the first half, and the Tigers’ largest lead of six came on a Masin free throw with 25 seconds left in the game, establishing the final margin.