Steven Newell sank three of his four field goal attempts and finished with eight points.
Photo by Erin Pence
WOOSTER, Ohio — A night after turning a tremendous defensive effort into an NCAA Division III Tournament Round of 16 victory, the Wittenberg Tigers had the tables swiftly turned by Illinois Wesleyan in a 70-49 national quarterfinal loss.
The loss ended Wittenberg's 2011-12 season at 24-7 overall, while Illinois Wesleyan improved to 23-7 and advanced to the national semifinals in Salem, Va., March 16-17. Ironically, both Wittenberg and Illinois Wesleyan last appeared in the semifinals in 2006.
After a tight start, the Titans slowly pushed the lead out to 10 points by halftime with a stifling defensive performance that limited the Tigers to 7-of-26 shooting from the field over the opening 20 minutes. Illinois Wesleyan, which led 12-11 after Tiger senior Michael Cooper (Springfield, Ohio/South) hit a three-pointer at the 11:39 mark before taking control with a 9-2 run over the next three minutes, spread the scoring around as seven players scored at least two points while shooting 45 percent from the field and forcing six turnovers.
For as well as Illinois Wesleyan played to start the game, the Titans were even better over the final 20 minutes, shooting 52 percent from the field. The Titans were as efficient from the long range as they were from the interior, hitting 9-of-21 shots from three-point range. IWU turned the ball over just seven times in the entire game and won the rebounding battle 36-32.
It was the Titans' defense that was most impressive, however. Wittenberg managed just 15-of-52 from the field (29 percent) as the Tigers frequently worked the shot clock down in desperate search of a good look at the basket.
The Titans put three players in double figures offensively, led by Jordan Zimmer with 14 points. He hit 4-of-7 shots — all from three-point range — and 2-of-2 from the free throw line.
Wittenberg was paced by senior Clayton Black (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) with 10 points and eight rebounds. Senior Josh McKee (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh) and Cooper added nine points each, while sophomore Steven Newell (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont) chipped in with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field, including 2-of-2 from three-point range.