It was a tale of two halves - and then came overtime. When the dust had settled, the Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops had rallied from an 18-point deficit to defeat the No. 1 seed and host Wittenberg University Tigers, 81-75 in overtime to capture the NCAC's automatic NCAA Division III tournament berth.
In the first half, Wittenberg raced out to a double-digit lead and by halftime the Tigers had stretched their advantage to 45-29. The Tigers were dominating on the glass, outrebounding the taller, more experienced Bishops 25-18, including 11 offensive boards. But then came a furious second half rally by OWU, the defending champion and second seed in this year's competition. OWU took the lead for the first time since early in the game at 62-61 on a short jumper by Kelly Heil at the 4:02 mark of the second half.
With the momentum on the other side, the Tigers finally fought back but still trailed by three points with six seconds left in the game. That's when Tiger guard Stephanie Campbell drove the length of the court and buried a game-tying three-pointer just before the buzzer to send the game into overtime.
In the extra session, Ohio Wesleyan continued to pound the ball inside as it had done throughout the second half and took control. Wittenberg took an early three-point lead on a long jumper by freshman Emilie Schmid, but OWU's post play was just too much. Tournament Most Outstanding Player Tiffany Barbee had five points in the overtime, while Mindy Hammond hit for six huge points in the extra session. Barbee finished the game with 22 points and 13 rebounds in 35 minutes off the bench, and she was joined in double figures scoring by Michelle Wolfe with 17 points, Katy Sturtz with 12 and Hammond and Heil with 10 each.
Wittenberg was paced by junior guard Kate Rolf, who finished with 21 points. Also reaching double figures were junior guard Stephanie Campbell with 13 points and junior forward Tiffany Keller with 11.
NCAC All-Tournament Team
Tiffany Barbee (OWU) - MVP
Michelle Wolfe (OWU)
Kelly Heil (OWU)
Kate Rolf (Wittenberg)
Lindsey Chappell (Earlham)
Jessica Kankoski (Allegheny)