Tigers Cap Season With Double Overtime Loss At DePauw

GREENCASTLE, Ind. - The Wittenberg Tigers saw their 2014-15 season come to a disappointing conclusion with a 79-75 overtime loss at DePauw in the quarterfinal round of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament.

Wittenberg ended the season with a 10-16 overall record, marking the first time since the 1955-56 season that the Tigers have not finished at .500 or better. DePauw improved to 17-9 overall and will take on first-seeded Ohio Wesleyan in the NCAC Tournament semifinals on Friday.

The game was tight throughout, with neither team holding a lead larger than seven points. There were a total of 11 ties and 10 lead changes, including a wild final 10 minutes constituting the two overtime periods.

The game was tied after the first 20 minutes at 23-23 and at the end of regulation at 53-53, thanks to a lay-up by sophomore Jaelin Williams (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) with 41 seconds left. However, Williams' ensuing free throw rimmed out, and after both teams were unable to convert, the game was extended.

After a back-and-forth first overtime, Williams sent the game into a second extra session with a free throw at the 1:08 mark. What followed was a wild final five minutes as the two teams combined for 32 points, thanks in large part to 13-of-14 free throw shooting by the host Tigers. The visiting Tigers fell behind immediately and never caught up, despite five points apiece from junior Alex Fultz (Batavia, Ohio/Glen Este) and senior Sam Collins (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights).

Collings finished with 13 points off the bench, one of three double-figure scorers in the game for Wittenberg. Sophomore Cody Phillippi (Xenia, Ohio/Xenia) led with 16 points and Williams added 12 points. Sophomore Shane Edwards (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg) contributed seven rebounds and a career-high 12 rebounds, in addition to three assists, which matched Collins for game honors in that category.

Written By: Ryan Maurer