Roundup: Tigers Take Two Wins in Tournament
The Tiger men's basketball team rolled to the championship of the Coca-Cola/Wal-Mart Classic at Franklin College last weekend, defeating a pair of 2002 NCAA Division III Tournament teams in St. Norbert and Franklin.
The Tiger men's basketball team rolled to the championship of the Coca-Cola/Wal-Mart Classic at Franklin College last weekend, defeating a pair of 2002 NCAA Division III Tournament teams in St. Norbert and Franklin.
Against St. Norbert in the semifinals, the Tigers trailed just once, 3-2, before going on a 17-0 run and cruising to a 74-58 victory. Freshman forward Kenny Brady (Reading, Ohio/Reading) keyed the run with two straight lay-ups and eight points overall. Junior forward Peter Walker (Lousville, Ky./St. Xavier) also played an important role, adding seven points, including the three-pointer at the 13:05 mark that capped the run. The Tigers expanded the lead to as much as 19 before going into the locker room with a 43-32 lead.
St. Norbert got the lead under 10 just once in the second 20 minutes, but Wittenberg controlled the action. The Tigers shot 49 percent from the field, including 8-of-18 from the three-point range, and they dominated the boards, winning that battle 43-31. Walker led Wittenberg with 16 points and Brady added 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Wittenberg claimed the tourney title by defeating the host team on Saturday 69-59. Wittenberg never trailed after scoring the first five points, but the game was close. After opening up a lead of as much as 19 points in the first half, Wittenberg had to scratch out the win after Franklin tied things at 50-50 with 11:41 left in the game. From that point, the Tigers went on a 19-9 run, keyed by eight points by Walker on two three-pointers and two free throws, and two baskets by senior forward Kevin Longley (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler), who was playing in his first game of the season due to a foot injury.
The Tigers won the battle of the boards 36-31 and shot 51 percent from the field (28 of 55), including 8-of-16 from three-point range. Walker led all scorers with 20 points and junior guard Rod Emmons (South Bend, Ind./John Adams) chipped in with 16 after draining four three-pointers.
The Tigers' senior forward tandem of B.J. Harris (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins) and Longley added 20 points (10 apiece). Harris and sophomore guard Danny Brywczinski (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont) shared rebounding honors with seven each. Walker was named Tournament Most Valuable Player for his outstanding efforts in the two games.