Wittenberg wins critical showdown with Wabash, 62-47, to set up big game against Wooster
The Wittenberg University Tigers were banged up with injuries and limping due to illness, and for nearly eight minutes of the first half they played like it. But showing the resilience one would expect from a two-time defending North Coast Athletic Conference regular season champion, the Tigers scratched and clawed their way to a critical 62-47 victory over visiting Wabash College.
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg University Tigers were banged up with injuries and limping due to illness, and for nearly eight minutes of the first half they played like it. But showing the resilience one would expect from a two-time defending North Coast Athletic Conference regular season champion, the Tigers scratched and clawed their way to a critical 62-47 victory over visiting Wabash College.
The win improves Wittenberg, the preseason favorite to repeat as champions and the No. 23 ranked team in the nation, to 12-3 overall and 7-0 in the NCAC. The win sets up another intriguing Wittenberg-Wooster battle on Saturday. Both teams are unbeaten in the NCAC and ranked among the nation's elite, as the Scots, who will host the game at Timken Gymnasium in Wooster, are 16-1 overall and 7-0 in the NCAC. They are also ranked ninth in the country.
The game between Wabash, which fell to 11-4 overall and 5-2 in the NCAC, and Wittenberg was played as if the baskets had lids on them. The Tigers didn't score their first point until the 12:42 mark of the first half and didn't manage their first field goal until the 12:27 mark, after nine straight misfires. But Wabash managed little in the way of offensive production either and held a meager 5-0 lead when Wittenberg finally broke the scoring ice.
The Tigers took their first lead of the game, 10-9, at the 8:12 mark of the first half on a short jumper by senior forward Kevin Longley (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) and never trailed again. The lead stretched out to 27-15 by halftime, thanks in part to a 19-6 burst to close things out in the final six minutes.
In the second half, Wabash never could make a game of things as several key players got into foul trouble, Wittenberg extended its domination on the boards and the Little Giants couldn't find the range from the field until it was too late. The Tigers held Wabash to 31 percent shooting from the field and owned a 44-26 rebounding advantage, including a career-high tying 15 from B.J. Harris (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins). Sixteen of Wittenberg's rebounds came on the offensive end, including four by junior forward Peter Walker (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier).
Sophomore guard Kenny Molz (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) led Wittenberg with 13 points off the bench, while Longley finished with 12 points and freshman forwardKenny Brady (Reading, Ohio/Reading) added 10 points off the bench. Wabsh got nine points from senior guard Matt Storm off the bench, but senior forward Joe DesJean, the 2002 NCAC Player of the Year, managed just five points and seven rebounds before fouling out with five turnovers late in the game.
Wittenberg heads to Wooster on Saturday for the game of the year in the NCAC to this point. Game time is 7:30 p.m. and radio broadcasts for both Wooster and Wittenberg can be picked up on the Internet.