The Wittenberg University men's basketball team continued its perfect ways in the last week, rallying for a difficult road victory over Denison on Saturday and then crushing visiting Wabash on Wednesday.
The two wins moved the Tigers to 11-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference and maintained the team's one-game advantage over nationally ranked Wooster. Wittenberg has won 13 straight games overall to improve to 17-3. The Tigers' last loss came on Dec. 10 against nationally ranked Otterbein.
Wittenberg, ranked No. 18 in the latest d3hoops.com poll, had to struggle past Denison before coming through with a 67-56 win. It was the Tigers' 16th straight win in the series with Denison and the 52nd Tiger win in the last 53 meetings, dating back to 1969.
The final score wasn't indicative of how close the game really was. The lead changed hands 13 times and the two teams were tied six times, the last coming at 55-55 with 3:45 remaining. Wittenberg outscored its hosts 14-1 in the final 4:03 and held the Big Red scoreless over the final three minutes. The Tigers tied it at 55 on a pair of free throws by senior forward Peter Walker (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) and then took the lead on a clutch three-pointer by junior forward Andy Bucheit (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) with 3:14 remaining. Down the stretch, Wittenberg hit 7-of-8 from the free throw line, including four straight by senior guard Rod Emmons (South Bend, Ind./John Adams).
The Tigers won the rebounding battle, 41-30, and hit 45 percent from the field - but just 3-of-20 from three-point range. The key was timing - Wittenberg hit its last two treys, first by junior guard Danny Brywczynski (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont) to tie the game at 53-53 late in the game and then the aforementioned bucket by Bucheit.
Walker led all scorers with 25 points and added eight rebounds and two blocked shots. Sophomore center Daniel Russ (Louisville, Ky./Trinity) chipped in with seven points and 11 rebounds, including five offensive, and Emmons added eight points, five rebounds and three assists.
On Wednesday, the Tigers buried a cold-shooting Wabash Little Giants team, 84-46, in the HPER Center. It was Wittenberg's second straight win this season and seventh in the last eight meetings with the Little Giants. Wabash has never won a game in Springfield and trails the overall series, 18-5.
Wabash held three leads early in the first half before Wittenberg went on a 14-2 run to claim the lead for good. Wittenberg added another 11-0 run to open up an insurmountable 19-point lead moments later. The Tigers led 41-22 at halftime, thanks in part to just two turnovers and six three-pointers. In the second half, Wittenberg opened on a 7-0 run and eventually widened the lead to the final of 38 points.
Wittenberg easily won the battle of the boards, claiming a 51-35 rebounding advantage, and the Tigers' defense stifled the young Little Giants into 28 percent shooting from the field.
The Tigers got 16 points, 11 rebounds and three assists from sophomore sensation Kenny Brady (Reading, Ohio/Reading), good for game-highs in the first two categories. Walker added 15 points, four rebounds and two assists in another fine all-around game. Emmons chipped in with nine points on a trio of three-pointers and Brywczynski finished with five points and five assists in just 17 minutes of action. For the fourth time in the last six games, Brywczynski finished without a turnover.