SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg Tigers made three of their last five shots and scored 11 points in the final 53 seconds. Problem is, the preceding 39 minutes were played at a similarly frenetic pace, but not with the same results as the Tigers' comeback fell short in a 69-63 loss to Capital University.
The loss dropped Wittenberg to 1-2 on the young season, while Capital is now 2-1. The Tigers have a week off to find their shooting range before opening North Coast Athletic Conference action with a game at Oberlin on Dec. 2.
After taking an early 7-3 lead, the Tigers found themselves battling uphill for much of the game. An 8-0 Capital run gave the Crusaders a lead they would never relinquish. The lead was 29-21 by halftime and eventually reached 14 points with 3:26 left before the Tigers finally put together a rally that came up just short. A three-pointer by senior guard Andrea Hackett (Springfield, Ohio/Catholic Central) with 17 seconds left pulled Wittenberg within four points, but Capital's Mackenzie Thompson drilled two free throws and the Crusaders crowded the three-point line on the ensuing possession to secure the win.
Wittenberg shot just 29 percent from the field in the first half and 33 percent for the game as a whole. The Tigers were beaten on the boards by a 42-35 margin, although their full-court pressure did force Capital into 27 turnovers. However, the Tigers couldn't set up their press often enough through most of the game because of the missed shots.
Wittenberg was paced offensively by senior wings Rachel Clark-Haggy (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) and Gina Carney (Lexington, Ky./Central Catholic) with 10 points each. Sophomore guard Kristin Donawerth (Harrison, Ohio/Harrison) had a game-high six steals.
Capital, which got 60 of its 69 points from starters, was paced by Caitlin Elsass with 19 points and Kristen Richardson with 15. Daniele Manalac added 11 rebounds, four steals and four assists off the bench.