Wittenberg pulls away from Kenyon

GAMBIER, Ohio - This was a game that Wittenberg University, a potential national title contender and the two-time defending North Coast Athletic Conference regular season champion, was supposed to win. In the end, the scoreboard reflected that, exhibiting an 81-66 Tiger victory over winless host Kenyon, but it was anything but easy.

Kenyon didn't play like a team that hadn't dented the win column yet in 2002-03, bursting out to an early 8-3 lead and stretching that first-half advantage to 21-11 before Wittenberg went on an eight-point run to get back into things. Wittenberg eventually wrestled the lead away from Kenyon and took a tenuous 37-35 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The second half was a different story. After both teams shot 58 percent from the floor in the first half, the Lords continued to shoot well, making 12-of-21 in the second half. The Tigers hit 48 percent in the second half, but just as importantly Wittenberg forced the bulk of Kenyon's 22 turnovers and also collected more than half of its nine offensive rebounds in the final 20 minutes.

Leading the charge for the Tigers was senior forward B.J. Harris (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins), who finished with 20 points and six rebounds, both game-highs. Harris was efficient on the offensive end, scoring his points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 from the free throw line in 24 minutes of action. Also finishing in double figures were sophomore guard Kenny Molz (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) and freshman center Daniel Russ (Louisville, Ky./Trinity), both of whom ended up with 10 points off the bench.

Wittenberg improved to 8-3 overall and 3-0 in the NCAC with the victory, and the Tigers will continue conference play on Saturday at home in the HPER Center against Hiram. Kenyon fell to 0-11 overall and 0-3 in the NCAC with the loss.