TIFFIN, Ohio - The Walsh Cavaliers men's basketball team used a first half rally to bounce back against the Tiffin University Dragons on Saturday (Dec. 14) afternoon at the Gillmor Student Center. 

Walsh erased an 11 point deficit in the first half, eventually defeating the Dragons 81-70 in a Great Midwest Athletic Conference matchup. 

Tiffin opened the game with an 11-0 run in the first four and a half minutes. Walsh immediately answered with a 12-0 run in the next five minutes. Alphonso Baity scored four points on the run before Caleb Canter put the Cavs up on a dunk. Both teams scored a basket as the game was tied. With the score 15-15, Walsh took off on an 11-3 spurt over three minutes. Darryl Straughter nailed a three pointer as Walsh led 26-18 with 4:57 left in the first half. Tiffin cut the lead to three twice in the final two minutes but Walsh answered back every time. Only leading by two with 53 seconds to go, Straughter and JT Shumate each nailed a three for the Cavaliers. Walsh took a 36-28 lead into halftime. 

The Cavaliers shot 46.9% (15-32) in the first half, outshooting the Dragons' 34.5%. 

Out of the intermission, Walsh pushed the lead to ten twice on buckets from Straughter and Shumate. The Cavaliers led 49-43 at the first media timeout of the second half. Baity scored four points on a 6-1 run for the Cavaliers, ballooning the lead to 11 with 12 minutes to go. Tiffin cut into the lead with a three minute span, outscoring Walsh 7-0 and trailing 55-51 with 9:46 left. Christian Montague added four points on a Walsh 9-2 run as the lead expanded to 11 with seven minutes left in the contest. The Dragons outscored the Cavaliers 14-8 in the next three minutes as the lead shrunk to five with 4:01 remaining. Walsh held the Dragons to three free throws in the final four minutes. Walsh ended the game on a 9-3 run, winning the game 81-70. 

Shumate returned from injury with a 21 point, seven rebound game after he missed last week's game with an ankle injury. Baity scored 13 points off the bench in his second game this season, while adding two rebounds and three assists. Straughter and Canter each scored ten points in starting roles. Canter added nine rebounds, nearing a double-double. Christy was also shy of a double-double as he accounted for nine points and ten rebounds. 

Walsh finished with a 55.7% (34-61) shooting percentage after they shot 65.5% (19-29) in the second half. The Cavaliers scored 48 of 81 points in the paint for the game. 

The Cavaliers will have a short turnaround as they will head to Ohio Dominican on Monday (Dec. 16) at 5:30 PM.