Wittenberg defeats Hiram With Big Second Half

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg University Tigers of 2002-03 were used to winning this way. On Saturday afternoon, the Wittenberg University Tigers of 2003-04 enjoyed their first taste of yesteryear, outscoring visiting North Coast Athletic Conference rival Hiram 40-8 in the decisive second half en route to a 63-26 victory at the HPER Center.

This was a close ballgame through the halftime break, as Wittenberg struggled offensively in much the same fashion it has all season. The Tigers led just 23-18 at halftime, but a 19-2 run covering the first eight minutes of the second half broke the game open. From there, making use of its entire bench, Wittenberg cruised to the victory, the 11th straight in the all-time series against Hiram and the 23rd straight in NCAC regular season action.

Wittenberg had just one of its 15 players reach double figures in the game, senior Haley Warden (Loveland, Ohio/Indian Hill) with 10 points in her first game coming off the bench. She also shared game rebounding honors with three teammates as she grabbed four boards. Two players reached nine points in the game, freshman Megan Miller (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) in just seven minutes off the bench and sophomore Carrie Jones (Greenville, Ohio/Greenville) in 14 minutes off the bench. The nine points were Miller's first of the season in just her third appearance.

Hiram, which dropped to 3-7 overall and 0-3 in the NCAC, got nine points and five rebounds from Hanna Wight. But the Terriers turned the ball over a staggering 35 times in the game and shot just 30 percent from the field, including a 3-of-16 performance in the second half. Wittenberg, which outrebounded the Terriers 35-29 for the game and shot 50 percent from the field in the second half and a season-best 44 percent for the game, improved to 7-5 overall and 3-0 in the NCAC.