Wittenberg Struggles In Second Half, Falls to Nationally Ranked Baldwin-Wallace

BEREA, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers took their show on the road for the first time in 2002-03, and played well for a little more than a half against one of the best teams in the nation. A 41-20 game-ending burst, however, made the end result appear a bit lop-sided as the Tigers fell to 2-2 overall with a 79-53 loss at Baldwin-Wallace College, the ninth-ranked team in the nation.

Wittenberg took the early lead 13-6, but seven turnovers in a span of 6:33 fueled a 17-4 B-W run to close the first half. The Tigers' last lead was 23-21 at the 6:33 mark.

In the second half, Wittenberg scored the first six points - five by senior guard Kate Rolf (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Carroll) to pull within five of the Yellow Jackets. But the Tigers got no closer the rest of the way, and the lead eventually ballooned to the final 26-point margin, thanks to the fact that B-W scored the game's final six points.

Wittenberg shot just 2-of-12 from three-point range and 39.7 percent from the field overall, and the Tigers weren't much better from the free throw line, hitting just 5-of-11 shots. Rolf led all scorers with 18 points, and junior guard Amber Bishop (Batavia, Ohio/Batavia)was next in the scoring column with eight points off the bench.

The Tigers are back in action Saturday at home against nationally ranked DePauw. After that, Wittenberg, now 2-2, won't return to the HPER Center for another game until Jan. 8 against defending North Coast Athletic Conference tournament champion Ohio Wesleyan.