SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — It would be fair to say that the Wittenberg Tigers bounced back from the brink more than once Saturday in the raucous mayhem that was the HPER Center. It only took three clutch free throws with one second left in regulation and a coast-to-coast burst with four seconds left in overtime to secure an 87-86 overtime win over nationally ranked Wooster.
It was just the latest installment in what has evolved into one of the must-see rivalries in all of NCAA Division III men's basketball. The Tigers won for the ninth straight time after a 1-5 start to improve to 10-5 overall, while Wooster, the preseason conference favorite, lost for the first time in more than six weeks to fall to 12-3 overall. More importantly, Wittenberg is now 6-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), while Wooster is 5-1.
Wooster led throughout the game, but Wittenberg played its best offensive game of the 2007-08 season to always keep the high-scoring Scots from getting too far ahead. The lead was as high as eight points in the first half and stood at 44-39 at halftime. In the final 20 minutes, Wooster pushed the advantage to 58-47 with 12:49 left before the Tigers kicked it in gear, closing to within 74-73 with 2:43 left on a jumper by junior wing Kevin Murray (Carmel, Ind./Carmel).
That set the stage for a wild final three minutes of regulation and a heart-stopping overtime period. Neither team scored again until Wooster's Devin Fulk canned two free throws with 13 seconds left - Wittenberg missed its best chance when senior Brandan Barabino (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) missed two free throws with 15 seconds left.
Barabino redeemed himself just moments later. Fouled by Wooster's Brandon Johnson with one second left as he attempted a game-tying three-pointer, Barabino calmly stepped to the free throw line and dropped three straight to send the game to overtime.
The pattern continued in the overtime. Wooster pulled out to a four-point lead on a Johnson free throw with 26 seconds left, but Wittenberg junior guard Gregg Hill (Farmington Hills, Mich./Redford Union) responded with an off-balance three-pointer with 15 seconds remaining. Then Wooster's Marty Bidwell missed two free throws and Hill did the rest, going coast-to-coast to hit a leaner in the lane with four seconds left to give Wittenberg what turned out to be the final margin of victory. Johnson missed a jumper that would have won the game at the buzzer.
Barabino was the key for Wittenberg. He scored 26 points - nine more than his previous career high - and added game-highs of eight rebounds and five assists. He scored 15 points in the first half and 11 in the second before giving way to Hill and his heroics in overtime.
Hill bounced back from a frustrating first half in which he hit 1-of-8 shots from the field to contribute 16 points, three rebounds, one assist and two steals to the Tigers' winning effort. He did not have a turnover for a second straight game.
Also key for Wittenberg was the inside-outside balance provided by Murray with 15 points and seven rebounds and sophomore post Mark Snyder (Celina, Ohio/Parkway Riverside) with 14 points and seven boards in 24 tremendous minutes off the bench. Murray hit 3-of-6 from three-point range, while Snyder finished 6-of-7 from the field, with all of his shots coming from close range.
As a team, a key for Wittenberg was rebounding as the Tigers won the battle of the boards by a stunning 39-28 margin (Wooster entered the game as the top rebounding team in the conference). Wittenberg finished with nine offensive caroms, compared to just two for Wooster, which was paced offensively by James Cooper with 21 points. He was one of five players to reach double figures for the Scots in the game.
While this was a significant win for the Tigers, it is just the start of a grueling stretch of games. Wittenberg faces a tremendous road test Wednesday at Ohio Wesleyan, which defeated the Tigers twice in 2006-07. The Battling Bishops are tied with Wooster for second place in the conference currently.