The Wittenberg men's basketball team has risen to No. 5 in the national rankings and run its record to 21-3 overall and 13-2 in the North Coast Athletic Conference. Good, but not yet enough for a team with the highest of high expectations.
That's because the Tigers' one loss in the last 17 games came in a 102-95 triple overtime thriller at home against arch-rival Wooster on Feb. 12.That defeat, which ended a five-year run of home perfection in NCAC regular season games for the Tigers, put Wittenberg one game behind the second-ranked Scots in the race for first place in the conference regular season title chase. The good news is that the Tigers slipped just one spot in the all-important Great Lakes Region rankings, from first to second, and remain in great position to earn a berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament, whether or not they win the NCAC Tournament and the conference's automatic bid or not.
Against Wooster, which was the first regular season home sellout for the Tigers in 20 years, Wittenberg started out hot, draining its first four three-pointers and moving out to a 10-point first half lead and a 41-32 advantage three minutes into the second half. But Wooster battled back, and a 9-0 run turned a 54-48 Tiger advantage into a 57-54 Scot lead. Down the stretch, it was an amazing see-saw battle, featuring four ties in the final 3:55, the last one forged when junior post Dane Borchers (Russia, Ohio/Russia) knocked down a pair of free throws with just 10 seconds left in the game.
The two teams battled through nine more ties encompassing three thrilling overtime periods before Wooster finally gained the upper hand for good by scoring the game's final seven points in the final 1:23. Junior post Dan Russ (Louisville, Ky./Trinity) had the finest game of his collegiate career as he scored 37 points, the most for a Wittenberg player since Rod Emmons dropped 38 at Wabash in an overtime win two years ago and the second-highest point total in the HPER Center, just three short of Steve Iannarino's 40 points in 1987. Senior wing Andy Bucheit (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) and junior wing Kenny Brady (Reading, Ohio/Reading) finished with 14 points each and Borchers chipped in with 12 points and five rebounds. Brady and Russ shared game rebound honors with nine each.
The Tigers' most recent game was a hard-fought 65-53 home victory Wednesday against Ohio Wesleyan. Wittenberg pushed the lead into double digits several times late in the first half before settling for a 37-28 halftime lead, and then the Tigers put the game away in the game's waning moments with eight straight points to expand a 55-50 lead to 63-50.
The Tigers were led by Bucheit's 17 points, including five first-half three-pointers, and four rebounds, while Russ and Borchers wreaked their usual havoc in the paint. Russ finished with 12 points and five rebounds, including four on the offensive end, and Borchers capped his day with eight points and 12 boards, including six offensive. For the game, Wittenberg, the top team in the nation in terms of rebounding margin and team defense, finished with a commanding 17-rebound advantage in the battle of the boards.
On Feb. 9, the Tigers took care of business with a 78-54 victory at Earlham. Already guaranteed its 36th straight winning season (48th straight non-losing season), the Tigers reached the 20-win plateau for the fifth straight year and the ninth time in Head Coach Bill Brown's 12 seasons at the helm.
Wittenberg jumped out to a huge lead with a balanced, fundamentally sound zone offense and stifling, aggressive defense. After leading by as much as 24, the Tigers settled into the locker room at halftime with a commanding 40-18 margin. In the second half, the lead stretched to 32 points in the second half. Offensively, Wittenberg spread the wealth as Bucheit drained four first-half three-pointers en route to a team-high 17 points to lead four double-figures scorers. Borchers added 15 and five boards and Russ and Brady both finished with 14 tallies. Russ also had five rebounds.
Rounding things out, the Tigers canned 21 three-pointers to break the school and North Coast Athletic Conference record for treys in a game in a 106-60 win over Hiram on Feb. 5. Wittenberg never trailed, building a 45-27 halftime lead and never looking back. In the second half, the Tiger reserves poured it on with three triples by sophomore wing Brandan Barabino (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) and the record-breaker by freshman wing Lance Frank (Ashland, Ohio/Ashland) inside the final two minutes.
The Tigers were led by Bucheit, who made 6-of-10 from the field - all three-point attempts - and finished with 20 points. He had plenty of support, including season-high point totals from Brady with 16 and sophomore guard Billy Bowen (Arcadia, Ind./Hamilton Heights) with 11, in addition to senior guard Kenny Molz (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) and his 10 tallies. The Tigers hit nearly 61 percent from the floor, including a blistering 21-of-35 clip from three-point range, and they also handily claimed the rebounding battle by a 41-28 margin.
The Tigers close the 2004-05 regular season with a road trip to Allegheny Saturday for a 3 p.m. tip-off. The quarterfinal round of the NCAC Tournament opens on home sites of the higher seeded teams on Tuesday, Feb. 22. The semifinals are scheduled for Friday, Feb. 25, and the championship game is Saturday, Feb. 26. The highest remaining seed in the tournament earns the right to host the semifinals and finals.
It is most likely that the Gators will make the trip to Springfield for a re-match with Wittenberg in the quarterfinals as the No. 7 seed. Barring a Wooster loss Saturday against Ohio Wesleyan, Wittenberg is locked into the No. 2 seed reserved for the regular season runner-up, win or lose against Allegheny in the regular season finale.