SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers started fast and finished strong to claim a key early-season North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) victory over visiting Allegheny by a 72-64 score.
The Tigers evened up their 2008-09 overall record at 6-6 with the win, their season-best third in a row and their fifth in the last seven outings. More importantly, Wittenberg is now 3-1 in the NCAC, tied with Wooster for second place, one-half game behind unbeaten Hiram. Allegheny, which stunned the Tigers in the NCAC Tournament quarterfinals in Springfield a year ago, lost its third straight to fall to 6-7 overall and 2-2 in the conference.
The Tigers' fast start amounted to a 30-11 lead through the first 13 minutes of the game, thanks in no small part to Wittenberg's 53 percent shooting from the field and a four-rebound advantage against the taller Gators. Allegheny closed the gap 13 points by halftime at 40-27.
After Allegheny cut the lead to eight points early in the second half, Wittenberg put together a game-altering 10-0 run to stretch the lead from 44-36 at the 16:29 mark to 54-36 at the 11:50 mark. Over the next eight minutes, Allegheny battled back, getting within six with 3:10 remaining, but the Tigers made 13-of-16 free throws in the final 2:41 to pull out the victory.
The Tigers put together a balanced offensive effort, led by freshman wing Josh McKee (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh) with 14 points before suffering what appeared to be a minor ankle injury. He was one of three starters to finish in double figures offensively as senior wing Kevin Murray (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) and junior guard David Nowicki (Carmel, Ind./Westfield) each finished with 12 points. Freshman wing Michael Cooper (Springfield, Ohio/South) added seven points off the bench as all nine Tigers players who saw action scored at least five points, part of a 24-5 bench scoring differential.
By game's end, Wittenberg had secured a nine-rebound advantage, leading to a 17-10 edge in second-chance points. All nine Tiger players finished with at least two rebounds, led Murray with seven.
The Tigers are home again at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14, against Earlham, a final tune-up before their annual battle at arch-rival Wooster on Saturday, Jan. 17.