MEADVILLE, Pa. — The Wittenberg Tigers saw their eight-game win streak and a shot at a share of the 2007 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) regular season championship go out the frosty, snow-covered windows of Allegheny College's Wise Center Saturday. The Gators upset the sixth-ranked Tigers 62-57 on the final day of the 2006-07 regular season.
The loss dropped Wittenberg to 21-4 overall and 13-3 in the NCAC and cemented the Tigers' position in second place in the standings. Allegheny improved to 8-8 in the NCAC - and earned a home game in the quarterfinals of the NCAC Tournament - and 12-12 overall with the win, the Gators' first in the last nine meetings with Wittenberg, dating back to the 2002-03 season.
There were two key statistics that told the story for the Tigers. The first - and most glaring - was shooting percentage as Wittenberg hit an ice-cold 33 percent from the field, including a 1-for-10 mark from three-point range. Both marks were season-lows. The second was rebounding as the Gators won the battle of the boards convincingly, 38-32.
Still, the Tigers were in the game until the end - hardly a surprise considering Wittenberg defeated Allegheny by 32 points just one month earlier. After Allegheny's Bill Babe hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to end the first half, the Tigers trailed 31-26, but the Tigers eventually closed to within one point with 12 seconds left on a jumper by sophomore wing Gregg Hill (Redford, Mich./Union). However, the Gators' Larry Sharp hit two free throws and Hill's ensuing three-point attempt was off the mark with six seconds remaining. Allegheny's Ryan Hollihan hit two free throws with one second left to ice it.
Early in the 2006-07 season, the Tigers had their share of road difficulties, in part thanks to inconsistent play from anyone not named Dane Borchers (Russia, Ohio/Russia) or Jack Hemenway (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville). That problem reared its ugly head once again as the senior posts combined for 41 points, 15 rebounds and three blocked shots, but the rest of the team managed just 16 points on 4-of-25 shooting.
Allegheny showed great balance with four players in double figures offensively, led by Casey McCloskey with 14 points. McCloskey hit two of the Gators' seven three-pointers - compared to the Tigers' lone trey.
The parallels to last year's late-season stunner at Wabash are undeniable, and the Tigers can only hope to start a run like the one in 2006 against Hiram in the NCAC Tournament quarterfinals. Second-seeded Wittenberg, which suffered through a season-worst shooting performance on the Little Giants' Senior Night last year before embarking on a run to the NCAA Division III Tournament championship game, will host a tourney quarterfinal game for the 18th straight year at 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20.