SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Despite failing to disarm the Bishops' sturdy zone defense in the first half, the Wittenberg Tigers pushed to a lead in the second period, but could not seal the deal as Ohio Wesleyan's venomous three-point shooting turned every chance at momentum into a short-lived burst, as Wittenberg fell 69-72 to the Bishops.
At the half, the Tigers trailed by seven points, but it was in the second half that things started to come together. In the opening period, whistles continually dogged Wittenberg while opening up lanes for the Bishops to scoot through, whereas in the closing period the fouls stayed relatively even. The difference in the game amounts to the superb outside shooting of the Wesleyan team. Their 41% from long range accounts for the margin of victory plus the two-point advantage the Tigers held in free throw shooting, with room to spare. The Bishops hit 9-of-22 treys, while Wittenberg mopped up only four makes on 17 attempts. However, Wittenberg continued their excellence from the charity stripe, converting on 17-of-18 attempts.
Leading the way for the Tigers was Mark Snyder (Celina, Ohio/Parkway), posting a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. The scoring leader for the men in red was the hot-handed Kevin Murray (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) as he nailed 6-of-10 from the field for 17 points. However, Murray was the only every-day double figure man to come through big. Brandan Barabino (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) went dry on a 3-of-11 night, breaking double figures on account of his 4-of-4 free throw shooting. Gregg Hill (Farmington Hills, Mich./Redford Union) also struggled from the field, at 3-of-15, but got the benefit of 4-of-4 shooting from the line as well.
David Nowicki (Carmel, Ind./Westfield) also added some spark to the Tigers' offense, dropping in 3-of-5 field goal attempts including one three-pointer and gathering two rebounds.
The Tigers head into the biggest game of the year, on the road at the College of Wooster on Saturday. The game may determine the site of the critical North Coast Athletic Conference tournament, a tournament the Tigers need to win in order to receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Wooster is ranked 15th in the nation, according to the d3hoops.com coaches poll. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. Click here for information regarding ticketing.
Written by: John Strawn