Gaydos, Korsberg, Swary
A dose of reality. That was what the Wittenberg Tiger women's basketball team received last week in winning twice before getting upset at Allegheny on Saturday to break a season-best six-game win streak.
The good news is that the Tigers remain firmly in control of their own destiny as the conference race tightened with Wittenberg's loss and Denison's eighth, ninth and 10th straight wins, which pulled the Big Red into a first-place deadlock by week's end. The Tigers and Big Red are both 10-2, one-half game ahead of three-time defending NCAC titlist Ohio Wesleyan, with four games left apiece, including a Feb. 16 date in Springfield that could be a head-to-head match-up for all the regular season marbles.
Last week, Wittenberg started things off a defensive struggle - and a crucial 57-41 home win over perennial NCAC contender Kenyon on Wednesday. Wittenberg shot just 23 percent in the first half and 34.5 percent for the game, just one player wound up in double figures in scoring, and the team's leading rebounder was the team, which had eight. No matter, the Tigers turned up the defensive pressure to force 30 Kenyon turnovers and force 36.7 percent shooting. In addition, Wittenberg pulled down nine more rebounds than the Ladies, a key stat in a game that was close until midway through the second half.
Leading the charge statistically for the Tigers was junior guard Stephanie Campbell (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern), who had a game-high 13 points. Senior forward Jill Swary (Columbus, Ohio/Grandview) was the next highest scorer with eight points in just 10 minutes off the bench. The team's leading rebounder was sophomore forward Haley Warden (Loveland, Ohio/Indian Hill), who pulled down seven boards in 13 minutes off the bench.
On Friday, the Tigers made it six wins in a row on Friday evening with a 70-28 victory over the Hiram Terriers. The Terriers' 28 points were the lowest point total for a Wittenberg opponent since Allegheny scored 28 points on Feb. 6, 1999. Six Tiger opponents since 1985 have scored less than 28 points in a game.
The Tigers were dominant from the outset, scoring the first 13 points of the game en route to a 43-9 lead by halftime. By the time the dust cleared, all 16 Wittenberg players in uniform had played at least 10 minutes in the game, 13 of them had scored at least two points and 15 of them had pulled down at least one rebound. The Tigers forced 32 Hiram turnovers, outrebounded their hosts 53-31 and limited Hiram, now 3-15 overall and 0-11 in the NCAC, to 26.7 percent shooting from the field.
With the statistical wealth spread so evenly through the lineup, Wittenberg's top scorer was freshman guard Emilie Schmid (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson) with nine points, while Swary and junior guard Kate Rolf (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Carroll) each chipped in with eight. Sophomore forward Amanda Lewis (Mechanicsburg, Ohio/Mechanicsburg) showed the way with eight rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench.
One of the longest, most difficult road trips of the season ended badly for the Tigers on Saturday as they dropped a 78-69 decision at Allegheny on Saturday. The two teams battled through a tight first half, one that included eight ties. After Wittenberg took a 41-40 lead early in the second half, the Gators, who were beaten in Springfield 94-41 on Jan. 5, went on a decisive 22-11 run over the next 10 minutes. Wittenberg rallied on several occasions but never pulled closer than seven the rest of the way.
Rolf was the only Tiger player to score in double figures, as the team shot just 33 percent from the field and was outrebounded 55-40 by the Gators. Sophomore forward Geri Woessner (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) topped the Tigers in rebounds with eight in 18 minutes off the bench.
The Tigers have no time to rest as they head to Earlham on Wednesday for a battle with the Quakers, who Wittenberg already has beaten twice this year. On Saturday, it's back home for a confrontation with Wooster.