SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers took a huge step toward one of their primary season goals Tuesday with a 54-46 defeat of visiting Kenyon.
The win moved the Tigers to 13-6 overall, but of greater consequence is their 9-1 mark in the North Coast Athletic Conference. The win over the defending conference regular season champions and the 2005-06 preseason favorite Kenyon kept the Tigers a game clear of second-place Allegheny in the loss column heading into what has all the earmarks of a first-place showdown on Saturday in Meadville, Pa. Kenyon, which started the season 10-0 and ranked in the national top 25, dropped to 14-6 overall but just 6-5 in the NCAC, a full four games behind the Tigers, who have reeled off eight wins in their last nine games after a 5-5 start to the season.
An offensive struggle throughout for both teams, the game was decided in the final 20 minutes, and it was rebounding and free throw shooting that made the difference. After falling behind 15-4 midway through the first half, the Tigers slowly chipped away at the lead, eventually earning a tie on a three-pointer by freshman wing Rachel Dixon with 1:36 to go before the intermission. The Ladies were held scoreless over the final 3:10 of the first half, and the teams went into the locker room knotted at 20 apiece.
In the second half, the two teams traded baskets until the most unlikely of scenarios unfolded. With several Wittenberg post players in foul trouble, freshman post Hannah Scherger came in off the bench and buried a three-pointer at the 14:06 mark, giving the Tigers a lead they would build upon and hold onto the rest of the game. Junior guard Andrea Hackett followed Scherger's triple - her first three-point attempt of the season - with another trey less than a minute later and then a pair of free throws a minute after that.
Down the stretch, the Tigers recovered from an 11-of-20 start from the free throw line, hitting seven of their final eight attempts from the charity stripe, including 5-of-6 inside the final minute. The Tigers won the battle of the boards decisively, 41-30, which helped offset a six-turnover differential in favor of Kenyon. Wittenberg shot 38 percent from the field, while Kenyon hit less than 33 percent, including a dreadful 2-of-13 from three-point range.
Wittenberg was led offensively by Hackett with a career-high-tying 10 points, all in the second half. Dixon added eight points and five rebounds in 23 productive minutes off the bench. Sophomore post Ali Rohlfs and junior post Kathy Hittle battled through foul problems to contribute 16 points and 18 rebounds between them. Kenyon picked up 15 points and eight boards from Katy Zeanah in the loss. Eva George added nine points off the pine.