Tigers Rally Late For Overtime Win Over ONU

SPRINGFIELD, OH - After trailing for most of the fourth quarter, Wittenberg Women's Basketball found a way against visiting Ohio Northern. Cadence Boyd (Cincinnati, OH / Monroe) banked in a three-pointer with five seconds left in regulation, and Madi Barnett (Cincinnati, OH / Kings) scored six points in overtime to lead the Tigers to an unlikely 65-60 victory.

With the win, Wittenberg improved to 5-2 overall on the season. After a week off to concentrate on final exams, the Tigers will host the Wittenberg Holiday Classic December 18-19. Wittenberg's opponents in the event are Muskingum and Webster.

Ohio Northern, coached by 2008 Wittenberg graduate Mark Huelsman, dropped to 0-7. Wittenberg was the third North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) team to defeat the Polar Bears, following wins by Denison and Ohio Wesleyan in November. ONU looks to get into the win column with three straight Ohio Athletic Conference games, starting December 10 against Capital.

The two teams were dead even over the first three quarters of the game, with ONU holding a 13-12 edge at the end of the first, the Tigers leading 23-22 at halftime, and the Polar Bears up by one point at the end of the third. In the fourth, however, ONU pulled out to a 52-44 lead with just 1:36 remaining on the clock.

Karley Moore (Tipp City, OH / Bethel) started the Tiger comeback with a three-point play with 1:17 left, and Barnett converted on a layup about 25 seconds later to pull Wittenberg within three points. Trailing by four with 20 seconds on the clock, Karsen Karlblom (Crystal Lake, IL / Prairie Ridge) knocked down a three-pointer. After two Polar Bear free throws, Boyd hit the game-tying triple off a kickout feed Karlblom in the lane.

In overtime, the Polar Bears scored the first basket, but Barnett tied it seconds later and Myah Johnson (Jeffersonville, IN / Jeffersonville) put the Tigers ahead for good with a three-point play with 2:04 remaining. It was the eighth and final lead change of the game.

Ohio Northern, which beat Wittenberg at home last year but lost to the Tigers as the 14th-ranked team in the country two years ago, shot 41.7% from the field but just 3-of-12 from three-point range, compared to 42.1% and 5-of-21 from long distance for the Tigers.

Ohio Northern held a commanding 36-27 rebounding advantage, including a whopping 12 boards at the offensive end. Wittenberg shot seven more free throws in the game, however, making 12 freebies to seven for the Polar Bears, and the Tigers forced 18 turnovers while committing 16.

Barnett led all scorers with a career-high 23 in the game. She made 9-of-17 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the free throw line. Karlblom, playing her second game after missing the start of the season due to injury, came off the bench to contribute nine points.

Written By: Ryan Maurer