Tiger players celebrate a Final Four victory.
Photo by James Lang
SALEM, Va. — The Wittenberg Tigers have won with defense and post play throughout the 2005-06 season. Down eight points with 5:44 to go, the Tigers got back to basics to finish the game on a 13-1 run and capture a 64-60 NCAA Division III Tournament semifinal victory over Amherst College in Salem, Va.
The win gave the Tigers a 30-3 overall record and moved them into the national championship game for the first time since 1983. Wittenberg is bidding for its second NCAA Division III title in men's basketball and third overall national championship. The Tigers were college division titlists in 1961 and Division III medalists in 1977.
Amherst capped its 2005-06 season with a 28-3 overall record. Champions of the Northeast Small College Athletic Conference, Amherst was making its second Final Four appearance in the last three years, but like the result in 2004, the Lord Jeffs were defeated in the national semifinals.
The Tigers took an early lead in the game, stretching it as high as 20-12 on a Kenny Brady lay-up with 8:30 remaining in the first half. However, Wittenberg went cold late in the half, and Amherst rallied behind 11 points from freshman guard Andrew Olson. By halftime, the lead was down to two at 25-23.
In the second half, the Lord Jeffs pulled into a tie with two free throws on their first possession and a back-and-forth game was on. After an opening 20 minutes with no lead changes, Amherst's vaunted long range shooters heated up - the Lord Jeffs drained their first seven three-pointers in the second half - to match the outstanding post play of the Tigers. There were four lead changes and six ties in the final 20 minutes, culminating in Wittenberg's huge burst down the stretch.
With Amherst draining their three-pointers, including some difficult, well-defended bombs, Wittenberg was forced to extend its defense. Even as the Lord Jeffs were hitting from long range, the Tigers were always within striking distance, setting the stage for the comeback, which started innocently enough with two free throws from senior post Daniel Russ at the 5:22 mark. During a timeout between the two shots, the Wittenberg coaching staff instructed the Tiger players to resist the temptation to double-down in the post, and Amherst's three-point game suffered as a result.
Senior post Dane Borchers hit a lay-up with 3:05 remaining and followed that with a dunk on the next possession to draw Wittenberg within two points with 2:25 to go. Russ finished a spin move in the paint to tie the game at 1:45, but he missed the ensuing free throw. Borchers converted a pair of free throws at the 1:09 mark to give the Tigers the lead for the first time since early in the second half, and he followed that 23 seconds later with another shot from the charity stripe.
After Amherst finally broke a scoreless drought of 5:23 on a free throw by Matt Goldsmith, the Tigers wrapped things up on a free throw by Russ with three seconds left. That came after two outstanding defensive stands by the Tigers as the Lord Jeffs were unable to get a decent look.
Russ was simply amazing, finishing with 26 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots. He hit 10-of-14 from the field, and even after struggling from the free throw line early in the game, he finished up 6-of-12 in that area.
Borchers came on strong when his team needed him most. After finishing the first half with four points and four rebounds, Borchers broke out in the final 20 minutes to finish with 15 points and a game-high nine boards. In addition, Brady had nine points, including a big three-pointer midway through the second half.
Amherst, which was held 25 points below its season scoring average in part due to 40 percent shooting from the field and 16 turnovers, was led by Olson's 14 points. John Bedford and Dan Wheeler added nine apiece, with Bedford leading the way on the glass with six caroms.
Wittenberg will take on the winner of Virginia Wesleyan and Illinois Wesleyan at 5 p.m. Saturday, also in the Salem Civic Center. The game will be broadcast live nationally by College Sports Television (CSTV) and via the Internet by d3hoops.com. Wittenberg's radio broadcast will be available locally in the Springfield area on 89.1-FM and live on the Internet. Links to everything tournament related can be found at the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Web site.