The Wittenberg University men's basketball team stretched its winning streak to 15 straight games with two more victories in the last week. The Tigers now head into a huge match-up at Wooster on Saturday with a 19-3 overall record and a mark of 13-0 in the NCAC.
Along with the 15 straight overall wins in 2003-04, Wittenberg, which is now ranked No. 10 in the nation, is riding a 19-game NCAC regular season win streak, dating back to last February and a loss at Allegheny. That streak was extended with wins over Hiram on Saturday and Earlham on Wednesday.
Against Hiram, it was not as easy as some might have expected, but the Tigers found a way to get it done, fending off a stern challenge from the homestanding Hiram Terriers, 75-57, on Saturday night.
The key to the game was free throw shooting. Both teams shot exceptionally well from the charity stripe, but the Tigers attempted 19 more shots and gained 16 extra points from that location.
Wittenberg held the lead from the opening tip, scoring on four of its first five possessions to take an 8-0 lead out of the gate. The Tigers stretched the lead to as much as 15 during the first half before heading into the locker room with a 35-25 lead. In the second half, the Terriers whittled the lead down to 41-40 before Wittenberg opened some breathing room back up with a seven-point run. Hiram could get no closer than six points the rest of the way.
Wittenberg, which won for the 32nd straight time against Hiram, put four players in double figures, led by sophomore center Daniel Russ (Louisville, Ky./Trinity) with 17 points and eight rebounds. Junior forward Andy Bucheit (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) added 15 points and seven rebounds in 23 productive minutes off the bench, sophomore forward Kenny Brady (Reading, Ohio/Reading) chipped in with 12 points and five rebounds, and senior forward Peter Walker (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) checked in with 10 points.
Against Earlham, the Tigers made it 15 straight wins with a convincing 87-51 win. Since defeating fifth-ranked Wooster on Jan. 21 at home, the Tigers have encountered four foes on their home floor and won each game by at least 21 points - and the last three games, against Hiram, Wabash and Earlham, have been won by an average of 38 points. The win was Wittenberg's ninth straight against Earlham and the 40th win in the last 42 meetings.
For the second game in a row, Wittenberg never trailed. The Tigers opened the game with a 14-2 run and never looked back, stretching the first-half lead to as much as 23 and then pouring it on in the second half. The final margin of 36 was the largest of the game, thanks to a game-ending 8-0 run over the final 2:07 by the Tiger reserves.
There were two keys to the game. The first was turnovers, as in a school record-tying four for Wittenberg to 17 for Earlham, leading to a points off turnovers differential of 25-2 in favor of the Tigers. The second was shooting percentage as Wittenberg drained 36-of-61 shots from the field, including 6-of-14 from three-point range, for a season-high 59 percent. Earlham made just 28 percent of its shots in the first half en route to a 19-of-57 performance for the game (33 percent). Included in those numbers was a 5-of-22 night from three-point range.
The Tigers, whose reserves outscored Earlham 37-7 in the game, were paced by Walker's 18 points and four rebounds. Russ added 12 points, three boards and two blocks and sophomore center Dane Borchers (Russia, Ohio/Russia) checked in with 10 points and seven rebounds in 15 productive minutes off the bench. Thirteen of the 15 Wittenberg players who saw action scored at least two points in the game, including junior guard Kenny Molz (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont), who provided a spark with two points, five assists and two steals.
Next up is the game everyone in the NCAC points toward each year. The Tigers head to Wooster for a match-up of No. 5 vs. No. 10 in the latest d3hoops.com poll. Wittenberg won the season's first game between the two perennial national powers by a 72-62 count in Springfield.
Wittenberg leads the overall series 44-36, including a 19-14 advantage since joining the NCAC prior to the 1989-90 season. No other conference opponent has even half the number of wins over the Tigers during that same span of time.