Wittenberg runs past Allegheny

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers moved within one game of clinching at least a share of a second consecutive North Coast Athletic Conference championship with a surprisingly easy 98-45 victory over visiting Allegheny College Saturday at the HPER Center. The Tigers jumped out to a big lead early, played suffocating defense throughout and shot the ball as well as they have all season in running their record to 17-4 overall and 12-0 in the NCAC.

The Gators, who dropped to 10-11 overall and 8-4 in the NCAC, came into the game tied for second place in the conference standings, but the gulf between the two teams was evident from the outset. But Wittenberg forced Allegheny, which lost its top two players to injuries in the first week of the season, into committing 40 turnovers and 36 percent shooting from the field. The Tigers, on the other hand, committed 20 ballhandling miscues, outrebounded Allegheny 40-34 and shot 51.4 percent from the field, including 9-of-18 from three-point range.

The Tigers, who have not lost in 2003, went on 13-0 run to break the game open after Allegheny had pulled to within 7-4 with 17:07 remaining in the first half. After the Gators scored twice in a 30 second span, Wittenberg went on 15-0 run to widen the margin to 35-8 with 7:23 left before halftime. The Tigers stretched the lead to 50-17 by the break and led by as much as 57 points in the final minutes as reserves played the final 15 minutes of the game.

As usual, Wittenberg exhibited phenomenal balance as four players finished in double figures in the scoring column. Senior forwardTiffany Keller (Massillon, Ohio/Tuslaw) led all scorers with 14 points, senior forward Meghan Bruggeman (Middletown, Ohio/Fenwick) added 12 points, senior guard Kate Rolf (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Carroll) chipped in with 11 points and senior centerRebecca Meers (Moline, Ill./Moline) finished with 10 points. Also of note was another tremendous all-around performance off the bench by junior forward Haley Warden (Loveland, Ohio/Indian Hill), who contributed eight points, five assists, five rebounds (four offensive) and three steals.

The Tigers return to action on Wednesday night at Earlham at 6 p.m. in the first game of doubleheader with the men's teams from the two schools. A win would clinch a ninth NCAC regular season championship since 1989 and give the Tigers home court advantage throughout the upcoming conference tournament.