The Wittenberg University men's basketball team faced a must-win situation on Saturday, and emerged from the day's battle with a much-deserved victory. The men, playing at home for the last time during the 2000-01 regular season, captured a hard-fought 74-71 victory over Allegheny.
Wittenberg was expected to roll over Allegheny, a young team that has just five wins on the season and which lost to Wittenberg by more than 30 points earlier this season. But the Gators were more than a tough match on this day, taking the Tigers down to the wire on the strength of 10-of-16 shooting from three-point range and great hustle that resulted in 10 assists against just eight turnovers in the entire game.
After pulling out to a pair of double-digit leads midway through the second half, the Tigers couldn't shake the Gators, who fought back to tie the game at 71 with 54 seconds left. But sophomore forward B.J. Harris (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins) hit one of two free throws and, after an Allegheny miss, junior guard Chad Mossing (Maumee, Ohio/Holland Springfield) canned two free throws before a final three-pointer went awry for the Gators.
Senior forward Ryan Taylor (Waynesfield, Ohio/Goshen) led the Tigers with 15 points in the game, while sophomore forward Kevin Longley (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) spearheaded a tenacious rebounding effort with 16 caroms, including six on the offensive end, and nine points. While the Tigers shot just 38.3 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from the free throw line, they did the job on the glass as they have all season, outrebounding their 21st opponent by a margin of 56-31.
Wittenberg is now 19-2 overall and 13-1 in the NCAC, but there is no rest for the weary as the Tigers head into perhaps their most pivotal week of action yet. On Wednesday, the Tigers head to Richmond, Ind. for a showdown with Earlham, which defeated Wittenberg twice a year ago. Then on Saturday, a showdown for the conference championship takes place in Wooster as the Fighting Scots host a rematch in the season finale. That game's outcome will determine seeding order and home court advantage for the NCAC tournament, which begins on Feb. 20.