DELAWARE, Ohio - After squandering a 16-point first-half lead at arch-rival Ohio Wesleyan, it was nothing short of gut-check time for the Wittenberg Tigers. They answered the bell, outscoring the host Battling Bishops 13-6 over the final 5:55 to claim a clutch 82-75 victory.
For a team that had dropped three of its last four games after an eight-game winning streak, the win was key to the Tigers' North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament hopes. Wittenberg is currently in a three-way tie for third place in the regular season standings, four games behind unbeaten and nationally ranked Wooster, but, more importantly, just one game behind second-place Wooster. Overall, Wittenberg sports a 15-5 record to go along with its 7-4 conference mark, compared to records of 9-11 overall and 6-5 in the NCAC for Ohio Wesleyan.
After spotting the Bishops the game's first four points, the Tigers reeled off 10 in a row, including a pair of three-pointers from sophomore Josh McKee (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh). The lead stretched to as many as 16 points with 6:02 left before intermission, but OWU rallied to close the gap to 41-36 by halftime.
The Bishops built on that momentum early in the second half, but the Tigers withstood the charge and finally put one of their own together, erasing a 50-47 deficit and taking the lead at the 11:59 mark on a three-pointer from freshmanDavid Hieber (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg). After OWU tied the game up at the 5:55 mark, however, the Tigers made the big plays down the stretch, capped by four straight free throws in the final 25 seconds from senior David Nowicki (Carmel, Ind./Westfield).
An outstanding three-point shooting performance, combined with solid ball-handling that included just nine turnovers, was key to the Tigers' victory, their second of the season over the Bishops. Five players finished in double figures offensively, led by sophomore Clayton Black (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) with 15 points and four rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, and junior Chris Sullivan (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) with 15 points and three assists on 5-of-7 shooting from three-point range.
Hieber added 13 points and four rebounds off the bench, while Nowicki turned in one of his finest performances of the 2009-10 season with 12 points, a team-best eight rebounds and five assists. McKee played through foul trouble to contribute 10 points, six rebounds and four assists, and sophomore Jacob Weide (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) came up big off the bench with five points and three assists.
The Tigers, who were uncharacteristically outrebounded by 16 by OWU, return home Saturday for another crucial NCAC game, this time welcoming Hiram, which is also 7-4 in the conference, to the HPER Center. The Terriers have won three straight games over Wittenberg, including a 92-74 victory on Dec. 5.