MEADVILLE, Pa. - The Wittenberg Tigers took control of the 2005-06 North Coast Athletic Conference regular season title chase with a 57-54 road victory over second-place Allegheny.
The win moved the Tigers to 11-1 in the NCAC, two games ahead of the Gators in the all-important loss column with just four games to play in the regular season. Overall, the Tigers improved to 15-6 with their 10th win in the last 11 games. Allegheny dropped to 14-8 overall and 10-3 in the NCAC.
As usual, it was anything but easy for the Tigers. For the fourth time in the last six games Wittenberg pulled out a narrow win against a top NCAC foe, this time overcoming a six-point deficit in the final nine minutes.
Wittenberg appeared to be in charge at halftime with a 10-point lead, and after scoring the first four points of the second half the Tigers were well on the way to a score similar to the 13-point win the Tigers enjoyed in Springfield on Jan. 6. However, Allegheny put together a 20-0 run to turned the 14-point Wittenberg lead into a six-point deficit. Six straight points by Wittenberg finally ended the Tigers' slide, and the two teams then battled back and forth until junior wing Megan Miller made a pair of free throws at the 2:18 mark to give Wittenberg a one-point lead. She added a jumper and then after Allegheny pulled back within one point again, sophomore post Katie Gregorevich clinched it with a basket with nine seconds left, forcing the Gators into an errant three-pointer just before the buzzer.
Junior wing Rachel Clark-Haggy led the Tigers with 14 points, and she added 11 rebounds for her first career double-double. Twelve of her 14 points came in the first half. Gregorevich chipped in with 12 points and eight rebounds off the bench and Miller finished with 11 points, including seven in the final five minutes.
Allegheny was paced by Courtney Steding with 12 points and four blocked shots. The Tigers won the rebounding battle decisively, 46-25, but that was balanced by 25 Wittenberg turnovers, compared to just 12 for the Gators.