WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wittenberg University Tigers have played a meat-grinder of a non-conference schedule to start the 2002-03 season, a challenging early-season slate that concluded with a hard-fought 73-66 defeat at nationally ranked Wilmington College. The Tigers have played nine non-conference games, including seven against teams with winning records, one NAIA scholarship program and three nationally ranked NCAA Division III squads.

The results have been an uneven but still encouraging 5-4 start to the season, with the latest intriguing result being the defeat at Wilmington. Wittenberg attempted 27 more shots from the field in the game, but the Tigers hit just 30 percent of them, including just 5-of-26 from three-point range. On the flip side, the Tigers had a season-low 12 turnovers, versus 21 by the Quakers, and they snared 21 offensive rebounds among their 42 boards in the game overall.

Adding to the oddities, 10 Wittenberg players appeared in the game against the Quakers, and eight of them scored at least six points. Two of the players who didn't score were starters, and the Tiger reserves outscored the starters 43-23.

Wittenberg led 34-32 at halftime and briefly took a four-point lead about three minutes into the second half before the Quakers, the preseason Ohio Athletic Conference favorite and an NCAA Division III quarterfinalist a year ago, took control. The Tigers were led by 11 points and seven rebounds from senior guard Kate Rolf (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Carroll) and 10 points off the bench from junior forwardHaley Warden (Loveland, Ohio/Indian Hill).

The Tigers are back in action Friday at Hiram and Saturday at Allegheny, the first two games for the defending North Coast Athletic Conference regular season champions.