Wittenberg Advances to Tournament Title Game with 74-58 Win Over St. Norbert

FRANKLIN, Ind. - The Wittenberg University Tigers, still playing without injured forward Kevin Longley, a two-time All-North Coast Athletic Conference standout and two-year starter, made it look easy in the semifinals of the Coca-Cola/Wal-Mart Classic at Franklin College. The Tigers trailed just once, 3-2, before going on a 17-0 run and cruising to a 74-58 victory over St. Norbert.

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 a solid 49 percent from the field, including 8 of 18 (44 percent) from the three-point range, and they dominated the rebounding category, winning that battle 43-31. Walker led Wittenberg with 16 points and Brady added 12. The freshman was also high-man in the rebounding area with eight caroms.

The victory improved Wittenberg to 2-1 on the young season and dropped St. Norbert to 1-2. The Tigers advanced to the tournament championship game against host Franklin. All four teams in the competition made appearances in the NCAA Division III Tournament a year ago.