Tigers Hold Off OWU In Key NCAC Contest
The Wittenberg Tigers took an early lead and made it stand up behind one of the best three-point shooting performances in school history.
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers took an early lead and made it stand up behind one of the best three-point shooting performances in school history. The end result was a key 74-67 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) win over visiting Ohio Wesleyan University.
The win moved the Tigers to 10-2 overall and 2-1 in the NCAC, heading into the team's fifth straight home game Saturday against Oberlin. The Battling Bishops are now a deceiving 3-9 overall and 0-3 in the NCAC.
The win was Wittenberg's 102nd all-time against Ohio Wesleyan, but more importantly it broke a five-game losing streak to the Battling Bishops. The catalyst for the Tigers was efficient long-range shooting, which resulted in 6-of-8 on three-pointers in the first half and 6-of-10 in the second half for a blistering 68 percent for the game. The school record is 13-of-18 from three-point range, good for a 72 percent mark. That was established in 1997 against Case Western.
The Tigers pulled out to an early lead, but Ohio Wesleyan got the better of things in and around the paint to keep things interesting until the final minute. The Battling Bishops outscored Wittenberg 34-26 in the paint and owned a commanding 37-27 rebounding advantage.
After taking a 37-29 lead at halftime, the Tigers maintained at least a two-possession lead throughout the second half. Ohio Wesleyan pulled to within 62-57 with 4:41 remaining, but junior guard Chris Sullivan (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) buried his seventh three-pointer in eight attempts with 4:22 remaining. The Tigers expanded the lead to 12 before a late flurry by OWU closed the gap to the final seven-point margin.
Sullivan finished with a career-high 27 points after hitting 8-of-10 from the floor, including 7-of-8 from long range, and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. He added three rebounds and two assists.
Senior Gregg Hill (Farmington Hills, Mich./Redford Union) added 10 points and four assists, while sophomore Josh McKee (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh) contributed six points, four assists and four steals before fouling out midway through the second half. Also of note was the play of sophomore Michael Cooper (Springfield, Ohio/South), who chipped in with eight points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals in 24 standout minutes off the bench.