The Wittenberg University men's basketball team keeps on winning. Chalk up two more wins in the last week - Saturday over Allegheny in the regular season finale and Tuesday over Denison in the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinals - heading into the biggest weekend of the season.
Against Allegheny, the tone was set early as sophomore forward Kenny Brady (Reading, Ohio/Reading) scored Wittenberg's first four points on putback baskets. Even though the visiting Gators matched those two baskets, the Tigers displayed plenty of muscle and enough offensive touch to pull away for an 85-66 victory at the HPER Center.
The win, on Senior Day at Wittenberg, was sweet for the Tigers for a variety of reasons. Guard Rod Emmons (South Bend, Ind./John Adams) and forward Peter Walker (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) celebrated their day in style, hitting for eight and 15 points respectively. The totals pushed Emmons past the 700-point plateau for his career and put Walker in the elite 1,000-point company. He became the 27th player in Wittenberg men's basketball history to reach that scoring figure.
The Tigers won for the 24th straight time in NCAC regular season action, dating back to Feb. 1, 2003 at Allegheny, and they finished the 2003-04 NCAC regular season with a perfect 16-0 record for the second time in school history.
In improving to 28-9 all-time against Allegheny and sweeping the 2003-04 regular season series, Wittenberg snapped the aforementioned 4-4 tie with a three-pointer by junior point guard Danny Brywczynski (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont). That sparked a 24-7 run over the next eight minutes, pushing the lead to 28-11. By halftime, it would reach 46-28 as Walker dropped in 13 points to lead all scorers and nine of the 10 Tigers to appear in the first half scored at least three points. In the second half, Allegheny could draw no closer than 13 points.
The Tigers shot 50 percent from the field, including 11-of-26 from three-point range. The biggest difference in the game was free throw shooting - Wittenberg was whistled for just seven personal fouls, compared to 22 for Allegheny. That translated into 5-of-7 from the free throw line for the Gators and 20-of-27 for the Tigers. Wittenberg finished with a 40-25 advantage in the rebounding department, including 17-11 in offensive caroms.
Wittenberg was paced offensively by Walker, who finished with 15 points and five rebounds. Sophomore center Daniel Russ (Louisville, Ky./Trinity) added 10 points, three rebounds and four assists and Brady checked in with nine points, a game-high 10 boards and four assists.
Against Denison, the Tigers saw a little of both sides of the Big Red - the one that lost 74-29 in Springfield in early January and the one that battled Wittenberg tooth and nail before falling 67-56 in Granville in early February - before pulling away for a 71-46 victory.
The win was Wittenberg's 19th in a row, and it improved the fifth-ranked and top-seeded Tigers to 23-3 overall.
After Wittenberg pulled out to an 11-2 lead to start the game, Denison battled back and pulled to within 36-29 by halftime. The Big Red opened the second half with a basket to get within five points, but the Tigers scored the next seven points, holding Denison scoreless for more than five minutes. The Tigers put together another 9-0 run midway through the half to effectively seal the deal, opening up a 20-point lead that eventually stretched to 25 on a dunk by freshman forward Jack Hemenway (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) with five seconds remaining.
Brady had another outstanding all-around game with 16 points and seven rebounds. He shot 8-of-9 from the floor in the game, the 19th straight he has started (coinciding with Wittenberg's winning streak). Junior guard Andy Bucheit (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) came off the bench to score 11 points and dish out seven assists and Walker chipped in with 10 points and four rebounds.
That brings the Tigers into the NCAC Tournament semifinals, a level which they have reached in each of the 15 conference tournaments in which they have played. On Thursday, Wittenberg finds itself in a match-up opposite fourth-seeded Wabash at 7:45 p.m. in the HPER Center. Second-seeded and sixth-ranked Wooster opens up semifinal play against third-seeded Ohio Wesleyan at 5:30 p.m., also in the HPER Center. The championship game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. tip-off - at Wittenberg, regardless of Thursday's outcomes.