SALEM, W.Va. - Behind a double-double from Jairus Stevens, Tiffin men's basketball was able to come out on top in a close 84-81 battle at Salem on Saturday.
Tiffin improves to 2-2 on the season with the win.
Stevens' double-double is the first of his TU career, leading the Dragons with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Joshua Williams was right behind him with 20 points and four boards, followed by Trent Williams with 17 points and five rebounds.
Tiffin was efficient offensively, hitting 50.8% of their shots from the field and 45.5% (10-22) from deep in the game. The Dragons also outrebounded the Tigers by one, 35-34, and picked up 11 second chance points to Salem's seven.
The Dragons couldn't miss in the early going, scoring the first seven points of the game and taking a 20-5 lead on a Trent Williams triple with 14:05 remaining in the opening half.
Tiffin would lead by as much as 16 during the first-half, but Salem stayed in the game and cut the deficit to eight at the break, 44-36.
The Tigers slowly chipped away at the Dragon lead in the second period, eventually tying the game at 60 with 10:16 to play. Austin Schaub quickly put TU back on top with a three, but the teams would trade baskets for nearly the rest of the contest, coming to a 78-78 tie with 1:26 on the clock.
Tiffin stayed composed down the stretch, as a Stevens layup and Trent Williams jumper put the Dragons in the driver's seat with a four-point advantage with nine seconds left.
Two free throws from Josh Williams and a last-second Tiger three later, Tiffin came away with the 84-81 victory.
The Dragons return home for their fourth home game out of the first five when they host Canadian school Fanshawe at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.