PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — The Wittenberg Tigers completed a successful weekend trip to eastern Pennsylvania with a 68-53 victory over Haverford College in a game played at Swarthmore College's Tarble Pavilion. Coupled with the season-opening 57-46 win over Swarthmore in a game played at Haverford on Friday, the Tigers opened the season with a 2-0 record.
A 14-3 run over a 4:20 span at the end of the first half and into the second half broke open a close game and sparked the Tigers' to the comfortable win. Wittenberg led by 10 points at halftime and slowly pulled away through the final 20 minutes.
Statistically, the key to the game was another outstanding defensive effort, coupled with offensive efficiency and a significant rebounding margin. The top-ranked defensive team in all of NCAA Division II each of the last two years, Wittenberg limited Haverford, which dropped to 0-2 on the young season, to 37 percent shooting from the field, and the Tigers won the rebounding battle by 11.
The Tigers, ranked 10th in the d3hoops.com preseason poll, were paced offensively by sophomore wing Kevin Murray (Carmel, Ind./Carmel), who rebounded from a scoreless performance on Friday to pour in a career-high 17 points, including 15 in the first half on 4-of-4 shooting from three-point range. Wittenberg shot 49 percent from the field, including 7-of-17 from beyond the arc, and the Tigers hit 11-of-14 from the free throw line.
Sophomore wing Greg Hill (Redford, Mich./Union) finished with 12 points and three rebounds, while senior post Jack Hemenway (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville)added 10 points. Senior post Dane Borchers (Russia, Ohio/Russia) collected a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with eight points for the Tigers in the victory. Also of note, freshman guard David Nowicki (Carmel, Ind./Westfield) distributed a team-high five assists.
The intensity is likely to go up a notch over the next month, starting with a road trip to Capital University on Wednesday. The Tigers will follow that game with the home-opener against 2006 NCAA Division III regional finalist Transylvania on Nov. 26. Road trips to Denison, Ohio Northern and Otterbein also await, while December home dates include NAIA powerhouse Cedarville and No. 1 ranked Wooster - all before the annual Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Classic on Dec. 29-30.