SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – The Wittenberg men's basketball team shook off a two-game slide to beat Oberlin 71-53 at home and improve to 8-13 overall and 6-8 in North Coast Athletic Conference action.

The Tigers, coming off of back-to-back close losses, put the finishing touches on Saturday's win with a 25-9 run over the last eighth of the game, turning a 46-44 lead into the final margin over the course of the final 11 minutes.

The surge was highlighted by a steal and breakaway dunk from sophomore Shane Edwards (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg) to answer two earlier Oberlin slams, and a bullseye three-point shot by sophomore Cody Phillippi (Xenia, Ohio/Xenia) that capitalized on an Oberlin offensive foul.

The Tigers gained a measure of retribution with the win after falling 65-63 in the season and conference opener on Saturday, Nov. 15, at Oberlin. The Tigers' first loss to ­­Oberlin in 50 games came largely due to the 26-point explosion of the Yeomen's Jack Poyle, but in the rematch he was held to just two points.

The decision followed the pattern of many games before it for the Tigers, where good shooting leads to a favorable result. The team shot 54 percent for the game to trump a solid 44 percent outing for Oberlin. Wittenberg was 27-50 from the field and 7-12 (58 percent) from three-point range.

The second half proved to be the material period, with Wittenberg leading by just one point, 32-31, at halftime. Sophomore Jaelin Williams (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) took over in the second half, scoring 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including 2-for-2 from long range and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line, while Phillippi went 3-for-5 and Edwards was 3-for-4 in the period.

Williams finished the game with a career-high 23 points and a team-leading seven rebounds on 8-for-10 shooting, including 3-for-3 from three-point range. Phillippi finished with 12 points and four assists.

The Tigers dominated the rebounding battle 35-22 thanks to Williams' seven, six from senior John Albertson (Morrow, Ohio/Little Miami), five from senior Sam Collins (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights), and four each from Edwards and sophomore Landon Hormann (West Liberty, Ohio/Salem).

Wittenberg hits the road for a midweek contest at DePauw on Wednesday night, playing at 8 p.m. following the women's game at 6 p.m. in Greencastle, Ind.

John Strawn '07