Tigers Honor Seniors but Drop Decision to Oberlin 57-48

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio—Wittenberg honored all of its senior players and their accomplishments on and off the court before Saturday's season finale. The Tigers headed into the match with their heads held high as their four seniors shared one final moment at half-court of Pam Evans Smith arena with their loved ones. All four senior shined in Saturday's NCAC matchup, but it was Oberlin who came away with the victory, 57-48. The loss puts Wittenberg at 7-16 overall and 6-10 in NCAC play. Shortly after the game's conclusion, the NCAC pairing were announced, with the Tigers earning the #7 seed and a trip to #2 DePauw to square off in the quarterfinals in Greencastle, Indiana February 23.

GAME BREAKDOWN

• Wittenberg started the game on an 8-0 run, as three seniors that were honored before the game Ali Miller (Cincinnati, Ohio/McNicholas), Taylore Bundy (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy Orange), and Teddi Tankersley (Springfield, Ohio/Greenon) accounted for all eight of the Tigers points.
• Miller put up seven points in the first quarter, as the Tigers led 16-12 at the end of the opening period. 
• With 6:25 remaining in the second quarter, Oberlin tied up the game at 18's.
• The Tigers went into the half trailing 27-24 after shooting 36-percent in the first half.
• In the third quarter, the Tigers found themselves down nine points before Michelle Brunswick (Middletown, Ohio/Madison) splashed home a three pointer to cut Oberlin's lead to 35-29.
• With 7:30 left on the clock in the game, Brunswick got a rebound and went coast-to-coast, weaving in and out of Oberlin defenders to cut the deficit to 42-40.
• Before taking a timeout, Riley McDonald (Dexter, Michigan/Dexter) maneuvered her way through the teeth of the defense and hit a jumper from the free-throw line to push the score to 46-44, Oberlin.
• Wittenberg had their opportunities on the offensive end of the floor at the end, but fell being 53-46 with under a minute to play.
• Mady Fogle (Plain City, Ohio/Fairbanks) knocked in both her free throws with 15 seconds remaining to cut the Oberlin lead to 53-48.
• At the final buzzer, Wittenberg fell to Oberlin 57-48.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Wittenberg shot 35.2-percent from the floor in the loss, dishing out eight assists on 19 field goals.
• The Tigers enjoyed 17 bench points Saturday afternoon, with Alex Kiess (Edon, Ohio/Northwest) netting seven of those points.

KEY STATS

• Miller stepped up in a big way, as the senior saved her best for last, netting 11 points, her season high.
• Brusnwick continued to fill up the stat sheet, finishing just short of a double-double with 11 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals on the day.

FROM THE BENCH

• "This group did everything we asked of them… They are going to take a lot of lessons from the season moving forward…The effort has always been there even when things have not gone our way," said Coach Jurewicz.

UP NEXT

• Wittenberg travels to DePauw to take on the Tigers February 23 as the #7 seed in the NCAC tournament Tuesday night. Game time of the NCAC quarterfinal matchup is to be announced.

Written By: Kuris Duggan