Wittenberg defeat Denison in battle for early lead in NCAC

GRANVILLE, Ohio - The Wittenberg University Tigers had been struggling with their shooting much of the season, substituting hard work, desire and experience for marksmanship in moving out to an early lead in the North Coast Athletic Conference and competing well against an outstanding non-conference schedule. On Saturday in a key early-season NCAC match-up at Denison University, the Tigers shot the ball better from the field and the free throw line and came away with a 75-61 victory.

Wittenberg was led by 16 points from senior forward Meghan Bruggeman (Middletown, Ohio/Fenwick), 15 points from junior forward Haley Warden (Loveland, Ohio/Indian Hill), 13 points from senior forward Tiffany Keller (Massillon, Ohio/Tuslaw), 11 points from junior guard Amber Bishop (Batavia, Ohio/Batavia) and 10 points from senior guard Stephanie Campbell (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern). Warden was the player of the game for the Tigers, coming off the bench to score the 15 points and add a career-high 10 rebounds for her first double-double.

The Tigers got off to a great start, jumping on the Big Red 13-3 in the opening minutes. But the rest of the first half was a back and forth affair and Wittenberg trailed 29-27 at halftime despite a clutch three-pointer at the buzzer by Warden. Wittenberg owned the second half, however, outscoring Denison 32-10 in a decisive 12-minute stretch. Denison led 34-33 at the 16:52 mark of the second half before Wittenberg dominated action and claimed a 65-46 lead by the four-minute mark of the final 20 minutes.

Wittenberg improved to 9-4 overall and 4-0 in the NCAC, while Denison dropped to 7-5 overall and 2-2 in the NCAC. The Tigers shot 49 percent from the field and 71 percent from the free throw line, and perhaps most importantly, Wittenberg held a large edge on the glass, 38-27. The Tigers are back in action Wednesday against another conference contender Earlham in the HPER Center. Game time is 7:30 p.m.