Tigers clinch first outright NCAC regular season championship since 1998 with 22-point win over Denison

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers used a decisive 16-1 run through the middle of the second half to escape a close game against visiting Denison University and capture their first outright North Coast Athletic Conference regular season championship since 1998. The Tigers, who improved to 19-5 overall and 14-2 in the NCAC with the win, put away Denison by a final of 65-43.

The Tigers pulled out to a 34-20 lead by halftime by holding the Big Red to just 22 percent shooting from the field. For the game, Denison was limited to just 24.6 percent shooting, the primary difference in a game that was otherwise fairly well played. Wittenberg topped its visitors on the boards by five, but the difference was that Wittenberg shot 39 percent from the floor and 73.7 percent from the free throw line, as opposed to Denison's 9-of-20 performance from the charity stripe.

The game was still a close one after Denison opened the second half with an 8-0 run and pulled to within five points at 40-35. But the Tigers responded with five straight points from junior guard Stephanie Campbell en route to a 16-1 run that broke the game open. Campbell finished the game with 11 points to lead the Tigers, sharing scoring honors with junior guard Kate Rolf. Both also had five rebounds. Also turning in a strong offensive game was junior forward/center Rebecca Meers, who dropped in nine points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from the line.

The win improved Wittenberg to 19-5 overall and 14-2 in the NCAC. The Tigers will be back at home after honoring three seniors on Saturday - guard Meghan Gaydos, guard Jen Korsberg and forward Jill Swary - hosting the No. 8 seeded team in the NCAC tournament. The game can be heard locally on WBLY 1600 AM and via the Internet on Wittenberg's Web site.