Rustad
Walker
The Tigers had an up-and-down week, but by the end of it the only thing that mattered was that they remained on top of the North Coast Athletic Conference with a perfect 8-0 record. Wittenberg defeated Ohio Wesleyan at home last Wednesday, rallying from a five-point halftime deficit to take a 13-point lead with just over two minutes remaining and then hung on down the stretch to post a 70-68 win. On Saturday, the Tigers defeated another visiting NCAC foe, cruising past Denison 100-69.
The wins kept the 17th-ranked Tigers on pace for a huge showdown this Saturday against Wooster, which is also unbeaten in conference action. Wittenberg will host the Scots, who won the NCAC tournament last year after the Tigers had won the regular season crown, on Saturday.
Against OWU, the Tigers fell behind 34-29 at halftime. But sophomore guard Mark Borland (Kettering, Ohio/Alter) scored the first four points of the second half and sparked the struggling Tiger offense to take the lead just two minutes into the final stanza. He was the catalyst as Wittenberg raced out to a 66-53 lead with 2:39 remaining in the game. But then OWU put on an aggressive full-court press and closed the margin to just two with 30 seconds left. Tiger forward Kevin Longley (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) saved the day, however, stealing the ball with three seconds left as the Bishops set up for a final shot.
For the game, Borland paced the Tiger offense with 14 points, four rebounds, five assists and four steals. He was joined in double figures by senior guard Greg Rustad (Lakewood, Ohio/Lakewood) with 11 and sophomore forward Peter Walker (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) with 10. Junior forward/center B.J. Harris (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins) finished with eight points and 10 rebounds.
Against Denison, Wittenberg came out strong and buried the Big Red, 100-69. The win was Wittenberg's 23rd consecutive in regular season NCAC action, dating back to Dec. 6, 2000 at Ohio Wesleyan. The record is 35 straight by Wooster from 1999-2001.
Wittenberg was in control from the outset, breaking a 2-2 tie in the opening minute by scoring 28 straight points. From that point, the Tigers had it on cruise control in defeating Denison for the 56th time in the last 57 games. The Big Red haven't won in Springfield since 1954.
The Tigers shot a sizzling 71.4 percent in the first half, including 8-for-10 from three-point range. For the game, Wittenberg shot 61.8 percent from the field, 62.5 percent from three-point range and 78.6 percent from the free throw line.
Leading the charge for Wittenberg was B.J. Harris, who hit for 15 points and five rebounds. Also in double figures were Greg Rustad with 13 points, sophomore guard Rod Emmons (South Bend, Ind./John Adams) with 12 points, sophomore forward Van Richardson (Lebanon, Ohio/Lebanon) with a career-high 12 points and Peter Walker with 10 points and 10 rebounds.