OBERLIN, Ohio — The Wittenberg Tigers are still sorting some things out in 2006-07, making games like their 68-54 win at Oberlin in the North Coast Athletic Conference opener for both teams a necessity.
Wittenberg improved to 2-2 on the young season, while the Yeowomen are now 2-3.
Playing a frenetic, full-court pressure style of basketball, the Tigers wore Oberlin down, forcing the Yeowomen into 30 turnovers, compared to 15 for Wittenberg. That translated into a 32-9 advantage in points off turnovers and more than made up for 19 percent shooting from the field in the first half and a rebounding deficit for the Tigers.
Trailing 10-7 midway through the first half, the Tigers picked up back-to-back three-pointers from senior wing Gina Carney (Lexington, Ky./Catholic) and junior wing Ellie Stonecash (Springboro, Ohio/Middletown Fenwick) to take a lead they would not relinquish. The lead extended to as many as 13 points in the first half and 19 points in the second half. Oberlin never got the lead under double digits in the final 23 minutes of the game.
The best all-around Wittenberg performance was turned in by sophomore guard Kristin Donawerth (Harrison, Ohio/Harrison), who finished with a host of career-highs with 14 points, five rebounds (four offensive), four steals and three assists. All that came while Donawerth handled the point duties for 27 minutes with just one turnover.
Carney added 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field off the bench, and she also contributed four rebounds to the cause. Junior post Katie Gregorevich (Northfield, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) did her part as well, finishing with eight points, three rebounds, four steals and two assists in 12 effective minutes of her first starting assignment of the season. Eleven of the 14 Wittenberg players in uniform scored in the game.