Tiger Women's Basketball Heats Up From Distance To Beat OWU

Springfield, Ohio - The Wittenberg women's basketball team maintained its position near the top of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) standings by holding off a late charge from visiting Ohio Wesleyan to secure a 70-66 victory.

The win was Wittenberg's sixth in its last seven games, and it put the Tigers into sole possession of second place, just one-half game behind DePauw. The Tigers have records of 12-4 overall and 5-1 in the NCAC, while Ohio Wesleyan checks in with records of 13-4 overall and 4-2 in the league, good for a third-place tie with Denison.

The key to victory was three-point shooting as the Tigers posted a season-best 53.3 percent from distance (8-of-15). Kelsey Ragan (Whitehouse, Ohio/Anthony Wayne) supplied half of Wittenberg's three-pointers as she came off the bench for the first time in the 2023-24 season. Ragan entered midway through the first quarter and immediately sparked the Tigers' offense en route to a team-high 16 points in the game.

Wittenberg put five players in double figures for the game. Riane Burton (Houston, Texas/Cypress Ranch), inserted into the starting lineup for the first time this year on the heels of her sixth double-double performance, and Taryn Cash (Cincinnati, Ohio/Princeton) added 14 points apiece, Jazmyn Gaines-Burns (Bladensburg, Maryland/Elizabeth Seton) contributed 13 points, and Jade Simpson (Edgewood, Kentucky/Holy Cross) finished with 11 points. Burton and Simpson led the Tigers with eight rebounds each, while Cash led with four steals, and Gaines-Burns paced the Tigers with four assists.

The hot three-point shooting was part of one the Tigers' best overall shooting performances of the season as Wittenberg finished at 49 percent (24-of-49). The Tigers' defense was solid as OWU was held to 37.5 percent shooting from the field.

The game was played with more than 20 program alumni in attendance, including members of the 2003-04 team that reached the NCAA Division III Tournament Sweet 16 after winning the NCAC regular season and tournament championships. Led by Head Coach Pam Smith, the Tigers won 21 straight games that season between a loss to Thomas More in December and a season-ending defeat against Scranton on in the Sweet 16. Included in that winning streak was an eight-point victory over eventual national champion Wilmington and the first two national tournament wins in program history against Penn St.-Behrend and Messiah College.

Pictured below are the players and coaches who were recognized during a special halftime ceremony:
Emilie Schmid Scacco
Haley Warden
Kat Hittle Fields
Kati Kitchen Price
Kari Kitchen Cooper
Carrie Jones Bell
Marissa Roberts
Phil Sikorski
Chad Mason