SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — With two of the best defensive teams in all of NCAA Division III locked up in a Round of 16 game, it was obvious from the outset that nothing would come easily. It didn't, but by game's end the Wittenberg Tigers had hit just enough big shots to pull off a 56-49 victory and advance to the national quarterfinals for the first time in a decade.
Wittenberg, North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament titlists and the third ranked team in the latest d3hoops.com poll, improved to 28-3 overall with the win, its seventh straight since a 51-46 setback at Wabash on Feb. 15. Hope, the third ranked team in the nation and tournament champions of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, rounded out its season with a 28-3 overall record. It was the first Wittenberg win over Hope in the NCAA Division III Tournament since 1985 - the Flying Dutchmen pulled off wins in Springfield in their last two appearances (1992 and 1996).
In this one, the Tigers jumped out to a surprising early lead as they combined some solid defense with timely offense to pull out to leads of 15-5, 25-15 and 29-17 by halftime. The Flying Dutchmen hit just 5-of-19 shots from the field in the first half, including a 1-of-10 performance from three-point range. Hope couldn't even find the range from the free throw line, hitting just 6-of-12 in the opening 20 minutes.
On the flip side, Wittenberg was hardly filling the basket up, but the slow pace of the game suited the Tigers as they hit 44 percent from the field, including 4-of-8 from three-point range. The key performance was turned in by freshman guard Gregg Hill, who came off the bench to contribute 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting. That include two huge three-pointers in the final six minutes of the half.
After Wittenberg expanded the lead to 33-19 early in the second half, the Flying Dutchmen went to work and eventually pulled into a tie at 45 with 5:03 remaining on a three-pointer from Stephen Cramer. It was the fourth straight true three-pointer by Hope in a six-minute span, during which time the Tigers hurt themselves repeatedly with turnovers against a ratcheted-up Dutchmen defense.
After the two teams traded possessions, Wittenberg's Kenny Brady hit a jumper in the lane to break the tie at the 3:11 mark. Hope had two more possessions to tie the game or take the lead before the Tigers picked up a three-point play from senior post Dane Borchers with 1:06 left. From that point, the game became a drawn out process of fouls and free throws that the Tigers got the best of. Brady made 5-of-6 free throws in the final minute and the Tiger defense took away any clean Hope looks from long range.
Wittenberg wound up shooting 44 percent from the field and 71 percent from the free throw line. The key statistic may have rebounds as the Tigers dominated the glass to the tune of 38-22, a figure that offset a six-turnover differential in favor of Hope. The Tigers were paced offensively by Hill, who finished with 13 points, and Brady, who added 12 points, four rebounds and three assists. The Tigers' "twin towers" of Daniel Russ and Borchers were both largely held in check as they each finished with eight points and they combined for 15 rebounds.
Hope got a game-high 16 points from Cramer to go along with four steals and five rebounds. Marcus Vanderheide and Derek Van Solkema added 10 points apiece. Van Solkema hit 3-of-4 shots from three-point range in the second half to spearhead the comeback.
Wittenberg advances to play Transylvania, which defeated Mississippi College 76-64 in the first game of the night. The Tigers are bidding for their first appearance in the NCAA Division III Final Four since 1994, Head Coach Bill Brown's first season on the bench. The Tigers defeated the Pioneers by a 62-51 count in Lexington, Ky., on Nov. 27.