SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Measured against the impossible standards set by Wittenberg men's basketball teams of recent vintage, the 2006-07 squad has had its share of struggles. But after improving to 14-3 overall and 6-2 in the North Coast Athletic Conference with a convincing 83-51 home court victory over Allegheny Saturday, it is clear that the latest edition could still be a force to be reckoned with.
Playing perhaps their most sound all-around game of the 2006-07 season, the Tigers took control midway through the first half and put the hammer down with a 22-6 run in the first seven minutes of the second half. Wittenberg led by as many as 36 points with an efficient offense that carved up the Allegheny full-court pressure defense for 12 fast break points and committed just eight turnovers. The Gators dropped to 7-9 overall and 3-5 in the NCAC with the defeat.
After Allegheny closed to within 17-16 at the 7:08 mark of the first half, the Tigers responded with a pair of jumpers by senior wing Billy Bowen (Arcadia, Ind./Hamilton Heights) and a lay-up by sophomore wing Gregg Hill (Redford, Mich./Union) over the next two minutes to start the rout. Hill went on to lead all scorers with 18 points, a season-high, in 21 productive minutes. He shot 8-of-9 from the field while draining both of his three-point attempts.
Bowen also had a good day shooting the basketball as he finished 3-of-4 from the field to finish with six points to go along with four assists, four rebounds and two steals. Their solid play on the perimeter opened things up for senior post Dane Borchers (Russia, Ohio/Russia), who overcame four straight misses to start the game to finish with his usual outstanding numbers - 14 points, seven rebounds and four steals. It was just the third game all season in which Borchers hasn't led Wittenberg in scoring.
As a team, Wittenberg hit 52 percent from the field and won the battle of the boards by a 41-32 margin. The Tigers also committed nine less turnovers in the game, and they shared the ball well, finishing with 18 assists on 34 made baskets. Allegheny, on the other hand, was limited to 30 percent shooting, including a 7-of-25 performance from long distance. The Gators were paced offensively by Larry Sharp with 10 points.
The Tigers get back into action Wednesday at Wabash College, which has won two in a row. Wittenberg lost to the Little Giants in Crawfordsville a year ago. Tip time is set for 7:30 p.m.