Wittenberg holds off Hiram to Stay Alive in NCAC Race

HIRAM, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers did what they had to do against a scrappy, undermanned, but determined host Hiram Terriers squad - they survived. The Tigers outlasted Hiram, which rallied from a 26-point deficit a week earlier to upset Ohio Wesleyan in the same gym, by a final of 78-62, but only after fending off a 16-0 Terrier run that sliced the lead down to five points midway through the second half.

Wittenberg trailed for what turned out to be the final time in the game at the 18 minute mark of the first half at 5-4 before the Tigers went on a 11-0 burst in just two minutes to stake their claim to a 15-5 lead. Later in the half, Wittenberg went on a 15-0 run that expanded the lead to 38-15 with 5:15 remaining and the Tigers went into the locker room with a comfortable 42-21 advantage.

But much like the game in Springfield a few weeks earlier, won by Wittenberg 93-75, the Terriers played a much better second half and managed to make a game of it. The lead reached 24 points, but Hiram clawed all the way back to 56-51 with 8:19 left in the game. But Wittenberg closed the game with a 22-11 run to finally seal the deal.

As a team, Wittenberg shot 47 percent from the field and committed just 10 turnovers, but Hiram nearly matched those numbers with a field goal percentage of 40 percent and a mere seven ballhanding miscues. The difference in the game came in the rebounding category as Wittenberg won that battle 47-30 and at the free throw line, where the Tigers attempted 32 shots, compared to Hiram's eight. Wittenberg made 19 free attempts, compared to seven for the Terriers.

Individually, the key to Wittenberg's success was the dominant inside presence of senior center B.J. Harris (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins), who recorded his fifth double-double with game-highs of 25 points and 11 rebounds. He had plenty of help, however, as junior forward Peter Walker (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) added 16 points and seven rebounds, junior guard Rod Emmons (South Bend, Ind./John Adams) came off the bench to contribute 10 points and six rebounds and sophomore forward Andy Bucheit (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) chipped in with 11 points and four boards. In addition, senior forward Kevin Longley (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) continued to do yeomen's work, adding six points and 10 rebounds to the Tigers' cause.

The Tigers, who are now 15-5 overall and 10-2 in the NCAC, are back on the road on Wednesday night at Earlham. The Wittenberg women open a doubleheader with a 6 p.m. game against the Quakers, and the men follow 30 minutes after the completion of the women's game. Both games can be heard locally on WULM 1600 AM and via the World Wide Web on Wittenberg's Web site.