SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Four days removed from their biggest win of the 2006-07 season, the Wittenberg Tigers were pushed to the limit by visiting Ohio Wesleyan before escaping with a 71-64 victory.
The win avenged a 70-48 loss on the Battling Bishops' home floor just two weeks earlier, and it kept the Tigers within one game of conference-leading Wooster, which topped Hiram Wednesday after losing to Wittenberg at home last Saturday. The seventh-ranked Tigers, No. 3 in the first NCAA Great Lakes Region rankings released earlier today, are now 19-3 overall and 11-2 in the North Coast Athletic Conference.
After a fast start, the Tigers struggled with the Bishops, who were playing their second game without leading scorer Ben Chojnacki. A 15-9 Wittenberg lead five minutes into the game was slowly erased as the first half wore on, and only a free throw by Wittenberg senior post Jack Hemenway (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville)with 21 seconds left in the half allowed the Tigers to take a slim one-point advantage into the locker room.
The Bishops got the best of things for the first 13 minutes of the second half before defense saved the day for the Tigers. OWU expanded a lead they enjoyed for most of the second half to 57-50 on a lay-up by Jesse Jean at the 7:26 mark before Wittenberg called a timeout. A three-pointer by freshman guard David Nowicki (Carmel, Ind./Westfield) kicked the Tigers in gear, and senior post Dane Borchers (Russia, Ohio/Russia) added five straight points as the Tigers re-took the lead at the 4:29 mark.
A three-pointer from Wittenberg junior post Brandan Barabino (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) opened a little cushion after Ohio Wesleyan post Dustin Rudegeair committed an offensive foul, his fifth of the game. From that point, the Tigers held on, thanks to stout defense and timely lay-ups by Barabino and senior guard Pat Denbow (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier), a jumper by Borchers and four straight free throws by sophomore wing Gregg Hill (Redford, Mich./Union) in the final 19 seconds to close things out.
Borchers did his usual thing, going for a team-high 19 points and seven rebounds in the game, but Barabino may well have been the difference-maker as he dropped a career-high 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. He also added five rebounds and two assists, while Hill chipped in with 12 points, two assists and two steals and Hemenway played a solid game to finish with nine points, seven boards and three assists.
Ohio Wesleyan, which shot 41 percent from the field and 44 percent from three-point range, won the battle of the boards 31-29, including a game-high 12 from Jean, who played a tremendous all-around game. He added a game-high 20 points, while Matt Shirer contributed 13 points, including a 3-of-3 performance from long range. Wittenberg shot an even 50 percent from the field and three-point range.