Wittenberg improved to 3-0 Tuesday night with a 66-54 road win over Capital.

Defense has been the difference in the Tigers’ perfect start

The Tigers limited the Crusaders (1-2) to 16 points in the first half, and Wittenberg held off several charges over the final 20 minutes thanks to its offensive balance to win by the same margin.

Wittenberg held Capital to 31 percent shooting in the game, compared to 57 percent for the Tigers, who put four players in double figures. Sophomore Sam Collins hit for 14 points, followed by freshman Alex Fultz with 13, junior Zack Leahy with 12 and junior Steven Newell with 11.

“This is a team that is really coming together. They are very coachable, they have shown some toughness, and they don’t care who gets the credit,” Wittenberg coach Bill Brown said.

A 16-2 Wittenberg burst midway through the first half broke open a close game. Capital saw its 10-8 lead turn into a 24-12 deficit over the course of eight minutes, capped by a three-pointer from Fultz at the 3:40 mark. In the second half, Capital pulled to within five points on a three-pointer with 6:59 remaining but the Tigers answered with an eight-point run to put the game out of reach.

In addition to his scoring, Collins led the Tigers with nine rebounds. Wittenberg won the battle of the boards 31-29, although the Tigers committed six more turnovers in the game.