Tigers Come Out on Top Against Wooster in Back-and-Forth Affair, 52-47.

WOOSTER, Ohio—Wittenberg University's women's basketball team squared off against rival Wooster Saturday afternoon at Timken Gymnasium in Wooster, Ohio. The Tigers trailed with under four minutes left to play in the NCAC matchup, but thanks to a clutch three pointer from Becca Ziska (Brook Park, Ohio/Berea-Midpark) the Tigers emerged victorious, 52-47. The back-and-forth contest was full of ties and lead changes, but Ziska's clutch three put the Tigers up for good, 46-44. Taylore Bundy (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy Orange) led Wittenberg with 10 points, while Riley McDonald (Dexter, Michigan/Dexter) fell just short of a double-double in a game well-played by the junior, finishing Saturday's contest with 10 rebounds and eight points. The road NCAC victory moves the Tigers to 7-14 overall on the campaign, and 6-8 in conference play.

GAME BREAKDOWN

• Wittenberg went into halftime trailing 24-23, but was right in the mix thanks to Michelle Brunswick's (Middletown, Ohio/Madison) first-half, which included nine rebounds and four points.
• At the start of the third-quarter, Wittenberg took the lead 25-24 on a made jumpshot by Ziska.
• It was not until there was seven seconds remaining in the third quarter that the Tigers regained the lead, 36-34, on a Bundy made three-point shot.
• The fourth quarter featured two early lead changes and three different ties before Wooster jumped out in front, 44-41.
• Wittenberg did not back down as a Bundy layup pulled the Tigers within one, setting up Ziska's late heroics in the form of a three-pointer that put the Tigers ahead for good with only 2:19 remaining, 46-44.
• Down the stretch, the Tigers stayed poised, converting all six of their free-throw attempts, ending the game on top 52-47.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Madison Linn (Piqua, Ohio/Miami East) came up big for the Tigers off the bench, contributing nine clutch points and three big rebounds for the Tigers.
• Saturday's rivalry featured six different ties, and a whopping nine lead changes.
• The total team effort featured 17 bench points from four different Tiger reserves.

KEY STATS

• Wittenberg dominated the glass on their way to a road-win, 45-31.
• The Tiger's offense managed to shoot a 30.2 percent-clip from the field Saturday afternoon.

FROM THE BENCH

• "Today was about serious grit. We had to stay in the game when Wooster had their little runs and then once we got that lead around the five minute mark, we did an excellent job of holding them defensively and getting to the paint for solid offensive opportunities. It's great to get this win on the road against a much improved Wooster team," said Coach Jurewicz.

UP NEXT

• Wittenberg is back in action February 17 on the road against NCAC foe Kenyon, tip-off is set for 7:30PM.

Written By: Kuris Duggan