Roundup: Tigers Capture Kiwanis-Wittenberg Holiday Classic Title

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Kenny Molz

The Wittenberg men's basketball team has taken several strong steps forward in recent weeks, improving to 10-2 overall thanks to a five-game win streak. Ranked 24th in the nation, the Tigers captured the Kiwanis-Wittenberg Holiday Classic with wins over NAIA scholarship programs Purdue Calumet and Taylor on Dec. 29-30 and then followed that up with road wins over Otterbein and Kenyon on Jan. 3 and 5 respectively.

The Tigers came out of the Christmas break with the best present possible - a first-place trophy in their home tournament. They started out with a convincing 77-47 victory over Purdue Calumet, thanks in part to 55 percent shooting from the field, including 11-of-22 from the three-point line. After streaking to a 17-3 lead to open the game, Wittenberg held a 33-15 halftime advantage and then poured it on in the second half. Topping the Tigers were junior post Dane Borchers (Russia, Ohio/Russia) and senior point guard Kenny Molz (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) with 14 points apiece. Senior wing Andy Bucheit (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) added 11 points. Borchers was tops with five rebounds and senior point guard Danny Brywczynski (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont) was solid with eight points, two steals and four assists with no turnovers.

The next night, the Tigers captured the tournament title for the 20th time in 23 tries as they defeated Taylor, 54-47. Taylor, ranked 17th in the Dec. 14 NAIA Division II national poll, became the fourth NAIA scholarship program to visit the HPER Center and lose to the host Tigers.

The Tigers scored the final nine points of the first half to turn a five-point deficit into a four-point halftime lead and then held on through the final 20 minutes. Wittenberg won the rebounding battle, 26-21, and shot 47 percent from the field, including 11-of-19 in the first half and 6-of-11 from three-point range in the game.

Wittenberg got a combined 30 points and 11 rebounds from the Borchers and junior post Daniel Russ (Louisville, Ky./Trinity). Borchers, the Tournament MVP, finished with 17 points and six boards, while Russ contributed 13 points and five caroms to earn a spot on the all-tournament team. Molz joined them on the all-tournament team after scoring eight points and three rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench in the finals.

Wittenberg capped the nonconference portion of the 2004-05 schedule with an important 65-53 road victory over Otterbein on Monday. That gave the Tigers a 3-0 record against in-region nonconference opponents - with all three wins coming against Ohio Athletic Conference powerhouse programs on their home floors.

Otterbein held its only lead of the entire gameless than three minutes into the game, but Wittenberg answered that with a six-point run. The game was tied on two other occasions, but the Tigers eased out to a four-point halftime advantage and clinched it with a clutch 13-5 game-ending run.

Russ led the Tigers with 13 points and Borchers added 11 points and 12 rebounds. Bucheit chipped in with 10 points and 10 rebounds, junior guard Phil Steffes (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) had one of his best games with eight points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field, and senior guard Brett Bowen (Arcadia, Ind./Hamilton Heights) added five points and two key second-half rebounds off the bench.

Rounding things out, the Tigers defeated Kenyon for the 80th time in 89 meetings, this time by a whopping 76-28 margin on Wednesday.

Wittenberg scored 14 of the game's first 16 points and never looked back, reaching what turned out to be the magical 28-point plateau at the 8:32 mark of the first half on a three-pointer by sophomore guard Billy Bowen (Arcadia, Ind./Hamilton Heights). At that point, the lead was 28-11 and it stretched to 40-14 by halftime and, thanks to a 6-0 game-ending run, to its final 48-point margin.

Russ led the way with 16 points and seven rebounds, Bowen finished with 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field (including three 3-pointers), and Steffes added eight points and eight rebounds.