Wittenberg Shows Balance, Depth In Win Over Bethany

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - In a battle of two 2004 NCAA Division III Tournament teams decimated by graduation losses, the Wittenberg University women's basketball team came out on top with a 72-41 victory in the HPER Center. The Tigers, who advanced to the Round of 16 a year ago but lost four starters this year, improved to 2-4 overall with the win, while Bethany, which lost four starters off a 23-5 team a year ago, dropped to 2-5.

This one went Wittenberg's way throughout, but it didn't become a blowout until midway through the second half as the Tigers continued to rotate fresh players into the game and Bethany, which dressed just nine players, simply wore down. In the first half, Wittenberg broke open a 14-10 game with 11 straight points as Bethany went scoreless for more than six minutes. By halftime, it was 33-20 Wittenberg. In the second half, the Tigers poured it on, going on several big runs, including a 10-0 burst to close the game and lead to the final margin of victory.

All 16 players in uniform for the Tigers saw at least four minutes of action in the game, and 15 of them scored - the only exception being junior point guard Brittany Landreth, who had a solid game nonetheless with three assists, five rebounds and three steals in 20 minutes of action. Sophomore post Kathy Hittle had an outstanding game, finishing with 14 points and seven rebounds in just 17 minutes of action, and sophomore post Rachel Clark-Haggy provided a spark in her first starting assignment as she chipped in with four points, six rebounds and four steals in 22 minutes. Also of note was the play of freshman post Katie Gregorevich, who finished with eight points and 10 boards, including six on the offensive end, in just 14 minutes off the bench.

Bethany was led by Jenny Place, who finished with 12 points and seven rebounds. The Bison were outrebounded 53-38 in the game and turned the ball over 22 times, compared to a season-low 10 for the Tigers. The specialty statistics really told the story - Wittenberg outscored Bethany 52-18 in the paint, 23-2 off turnovers, 14-4 on second chances and 44-7 off the bench. For the game, Wittenberg shot 40 percent from the field, their best of the season thanks to a renewed emphasis on working the offense through a stable of young, talented post players. Bethany made 30 percent of its shots and hurt itself additionally with a 2-of-7 performance from the free throw line.

The Tigers will look to make it two in a row on Saturday when they host NCAC rival Oberlin in a 2 p.m. tip-off at the HPER Center. After finals week, Wittenberg hits the road for a game with Thomas More on Dec. 18, and then the Kiwanis-Wittenberg Holiday Classic features a first-round match-up with Centre College at 3 p.m. on Dec. 29, back home in the friendly confines.