ADA, Ohio — A week away from game action, the absence of their senior point guard, and the obstacle presented by one of the top-ranked teams in the nation on their home court combined to derail the Wittenberg Tigers in Tuesday night nonconference action. Wittenberg dropped its first nonconference game of the 2006-07 season with a 68-51 defeat at Ohio Northern University.
The Polar Bears improved to 8-1 on the young season as they defeated Wittenberg for the first time since 2002. The Tigers, who dropped to 6-2 overall with their second straight loss to a top-10 team, had beaten Ohio Northern each of the last three years.
ONU broke open a tight game with a 10-0 run midway through the first half. Trailing 33-28 at halftime, the Tigers scored the first two points of the second half on a basket by senior post Dane Borchers (Russia, Ohio/Russia), but the Bears quickly stretched the lead back out. Wittenberg was unable to make a significant run, in part thanks to foul troubles that plagued key post players Borchers and senior Jack Hemenway (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville), and also due to the absence of senior point guard Pat Denbow (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier), who sat out the game with a lingering ankle injury.
Wittenberg held a one-rebound advantage, while Ohio Northern forced one more turnover in the game. The difference came at the offensive end as the Bears shot a stellar 56 percent from the field, compared to 35 percent for the Tigers. Compounding that differential was a 6-1 edge in three-pointers for Ohio Northern, which got 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the floor from Greg Badenhop.
The Tigers picked up 17 points and four rebounds from Borchers, and junior wing Brandan Barabino (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) provided a lift with a season-high 10 points off the bench.
An important week in terms of regional positioning continues Thursday as the Tigers travel to Otterbein for another Ohio Athletic Conference challenge. Wittenberg is 1-1 in road games against OAC foes this season, with a double-overtime win over Capital on Nov. 22 also on the ledger.