Tigers Just Short Of Thanksgiving Tournament Champion Wilmington
A 13-0 second-half run turned a six-point Wittenberg lead into a seven-point deficit as the Tigers dropped their first game of the 2008-09 season, 82-74, to the host Quakers in the championship game of Wilmington's Fred Raizk Thanksgiving Tournament.
WILMINGTON, Ohio — A 13-0 second-half run turned a six-point Wittenberg lead into a seven-point deficit as the Tigers dropped their first game of the 2008-09 season, 82-74, to the host Quakers in the championship game of Wilmington's Fred Raizk Thanksgiving Tournament.
The loss dropped Wittenberg, which advanced to the title game with a 75-50 win over Bethany on Saturday, to 4-1 on the young season, while Wilmington improved to 4-0 after collecting wins over Pitt Bradford and then Wittenberg.
After taking a 36-34 lead into the locker room at halftime, Wittenberg expanded the lead to 66-60 on a jumper by junior post Stephanie Boardman (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley) with seven minutes left to play. However, Wilmington got eight straight points from Kortney Kin to take the lead. Her three-pointer at the 3:51 mark capped the run, but the Quakers held on from there to claim the hard-fought win.
There were two differences in the game that led to Wilmington's victory. First, the Quakers had Kin, the Tournament MVP, on their side, as she erupted by a school-record 45 points, including 31 in the second half alone. Kin, who hit 17-of-26 from the field and 10-of-12 from the free throw line, added nine rebounds, two assists and three steals while not committing a turnover. Second, Wittenberg committed 25 turnovers, compared to 14 by the Quakers.
That turnover margin was key because Wittenberg shot for a higher percentage from the field and colleted two more rebounds in the game. The Tigers also had problems at the free throw line as they made just 4-of-10 in the game, compared to 28-of-42 for Wilmington.
Boardman led Wittenberg with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore wing Katherine Hueter (Columbus, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson) added 10 points and six boards and junior wing Carrie Dyer (Copley, Ohio/Copley) was solid off the bench with nine points and seven rebounds. Also of note was the play of senior wing/postRachel Dixon (West Liberty, Ohio/Salem), who grabbed a career-high eight rebounds and was named to the all-tournament team along with Boardman.
No rest for the weary as the Tigers get right back at it Tuesday at nationally ranked Baldwin-Wallace. Tip time is 7 p.m.