The Wittenberg women's basketball team is finding a way to get things done, which may bode well for a future run at the North Coast Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles. The Tigers have won six of their last seven games, including a pair of three-point victories at home in the last week, to improve to 11-6 overall and 7-1 in the NCAC.
Wittenberg defeated Ohio Wesleyan 57-54 at the HPER Center on Saturday, rallying from a 10-point deficit by outscoring the Battling Bishops 13-2 in the final 8:39 of the game. The Tigers got six straight points from junior post Kathy Hittle (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) to close the gap to take a one-point lead and then two free throws by junior wing Rachel Clark-Haggy (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) were clutch for the Tigers with 1:17 remaining. OWU missed two three-pointers in the final 10 seconds as the Tigers were able to seal the win.
Against Thomas More, the shoe was almost on the other foot. The Tigers held what appeared to be a comfortable 11-point advantage with 6:39 remaining in the game after senior guard Brittany Landreth (Mantua, Ohio/Valparaiso (Ind.)) hit a jumper. Held scoreless for the next 6:36, the Tigers saw their lead shrivel to one point before Landreth rescued them.
Thomas More rebounded a Wittenberg miss, but the outlet pass never was made as Landreth made the steal and was subsequently fouled with just three seconds left. She drilled both free throws, forcing the Saints into a desperate three-point attempt at the buzzer.
Hittle, who leads the Tigers in scoring and rebounding on the season, had 29 points in the two games combined. She has reached double figures in 12 of the team's games this season, and she has six double-doubles, easily the most among Tiger players.
Wittenberg hits the road for a game against Oberlin on Saturday before a crucial week of games that starts with a home game against Kenyon, the preseason NCAC favorite, on Jan. 31. Leading the NCAC by a slim one-game margin, the Tigers follow that game with an always draining road trip to Hiram and Allegheny on Feb. 3 and 4.