Staff report

Wittenberg’s men’s basketball team began its season on a good note, defeating Johns Hopkins University 61-44 in the opener of the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Memorial Tournament hosted by Case Western Reserve University.

After a slow start, Wittenberg surged to a 27-18 halftime lead, then saw every facet of its game improve in the second half, when the Tigers shot 60 percent from the field and made 8-of-9 free throws.

Junior Cole Bond and sophomore Sam Collins each made his first career start while juniors Zach Leahy and Scott Masin each started for just the fourth time. Junior Steven Newell, a Northmont High school graduate, brought the most experience to the floor with 33 career starts.

Leahy led the way with 13 points followed by Collins with 12 and Masin with 11.

Bond contributed a team-high seven rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Tigers limited Johns Hopkins to 36 percent shooting and 19 percent (3-of-16) from 3-point range.

The win puts the Tigers in the championship game, where they will face host CWRU at 7 p.m today.