WESTERVILLE, Ohio — The Wittenberg Tigers needed a win in the worst way Thursday, and thanks to a balanced effort they came up with the goods in a hostile environment at Otterbein College, 79-72.
The injury-riddled Tigers, who played a second straight game without starting senior point guard Pat Denbow (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) and reserve junior post Sam Gregory (Gainesville, Fla./Oak Hall), improved to 7-2 overall with the win, which broke a two-game losing streak. Sophomore wing Gregg Hill (Redford, Mich./Union) did play 26 minutes and score on point in the game, although he didn't start due to a hand injury suffered in Tuesday's loss at Ohio Northern.
The key to the win was outstanding fundamental play, which allowed the Tigers to overcome a 43 percent shooting from the field and 69 percent from the free throw line. Wittenberg outrebounded the Cardinals by 11 and committed a season-low five turnovers, compared to a respectable total of nine by Otterbein.
Trailing 22-17 midway through the first half, the Tigers' offense got things in gear as Wittenberg put together a game-changing 8-0 run. Otterbein kept things close through halftime, however, and actually had the momentum going into the break on a three-pointer by Adam Wells, who led all scorers with 23 points, including a 7-of-12 performance from three-point range.
An 11-3 burst to open the second half gave the Tigers some breathing room, and they managed to hold on from there. The Cardinals closed to within three on Wells' sixth three-pointer with 1:49 remaining, but the Tigers got back to basics from there. Wittenberg knocked down 10-of-12 free throws, including 6-of-6 by junior wingBrandan Barabino (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) in the final 1:38 to seal the win.
Senior post Dane Borchers (Russia, Ohio/Russia) was a difference-maker again in this game, finishing with his fifth double-double in the last six games. Senior post Jack Hemenway (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) added 14 points and five rebounds, Caraway chipped in 13 points, including a clutch three-pointer late in the second half, and Barabino and freshman point guard David Nowicki (Carmel, Ind./Westfield) each finished with 10 points. Nowicki's career-high point total was complemented by a two-assist, one-turnover performance in just his second career starting assignment.
Otterbein, which dropped to 5-4 overall while losing for the fourth straight year to Wittenberg, was paced by Wells with 23 points and Tyler Ousley with 18 tallies that went along with a game-high 13 rebounds, matching Borchers' total. A key difference, however, was that an astounding 21 of Wittenberg's 43 rebounds came at the offensive end, compared to 11 of Otterbein's boards. Borchers had seven offensive caroms.
Wittenberg is off until a Dec. 29 date against 2006 NCAA Division III Tournament qualifier York (N.Y.) in the first round of the Charles B. Zimmerman Classic at Wittenberg.