Wittenberg Drops Earlham In Key NCAC Contest

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg Tigers put together one of their better all-around performances Wednesday, capturing a 74-57 victory over North Coast Athletic Conference rival Earlham in the HPER Center.

In their first game as the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, the Tigers played like it, shooting 57 percent from the field, outrebounding Earlham by 12 and dishing out 19 assists on 30 made baskets. The win improved the Tigers to 13-1 overall and, more importantly, 4-1 in the NCAC, while Earlham dropped to 6-8 overall and 3-2 in the conference.

Earlham's athletic roster was expected to create some match-up problems for the taller, deeper Tigers, and in the early going the Quakers hung tough. The lead changed hands four times in the first half before Wittenberg went on an 11-2 run over the final 7:27 before halftime to open up a 33-23 advantage. The lead swelled to 20 points by 10:35 in the second half as Earlham was forced to play an extended period without All-NCAC guard Brandon Miller, who was in foul trouble all night as he attempted to guard Wittenberg's post players.

The Tigers got a combined 51 points and 19 rebounds from its outstanding frontline trio of senior posts Daniel Russ and Dane Borchers and senior wing Kenny Brady to lead the way. It was Brady's turn to lead in scoring, hitting 8-of-14 shots from the field to finish with a game-high 19 points. The other two had tremendous stat lines all the way across as Borchers finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists, three blocked shots and three steals, while Russ added 14 points, five rebounds and four blocks. The only blemish on the performance was a season-low 46 percent shooting performance from the free throw line, including a 2-of-6 finish turned in by Russ.

Earlham put four players in double figures, led by Miller with 15 points. The Quakers were limited to 32 percent shooting as they became the seventh straight Wittenberg opponent held under 60 points. Not coincidentally, the Tigers have won all seven games.

Also enjoying strong games for Wittenberg were freshman wing Tyler Howard with nine points, four rebounds and three assists and freshman guard Dan McNeely, who checked in with five assists and four rebounds in 16 quality minutes off the bench. He combined with junior Pat Denbow, the team's starter, to dish out seven assists against just one turnover from the point position.