HIRAM, Ohio — It took nearly 48 hours to complete, but the end result was quite satisfying as the Wittenberg Tigers put the finishing touches on a 2-0 road trip with a 71-41 victory over host Hiram.
The Tigers led 37-25 early in the second half when the lights went out in Hiram's Price Gymnasium, causing a delay of nearly two hours. Finally, the teams and officials decided to pick the game up in process on Sunday at 4 p.m. Wittenberg went on an offensive tear as soon as play resumed, and the end result was a decisive win.
While Sunday's 16 minutes of game action was Wittenberg's fourth time on the court for a game in six days and third in a row, the Tigers actually played their best basketball on Sunday. Wittenberg drained 8-of-15 from three-point range in the second half - including three treys from junior post Ali Rohlfs (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) - and the Tigers finished the game with 13-of-25 from beyond the arc, easily their best percentage of the season and a team record for made three-point field goals.
For the game, Wittenberg shot 40 percent from the field overall, won the rebounding battle by 12 and forced nine more turnovers. Rohlfs finished with a season-best 15 points to go along with six rebounds, two blocked shots and four steals, while senior wing Gina Carney (Lexington, Ky./Catholic) came off the bench to provide a tremendous spark. She hit all five shots from the field, including a quartet of three-pointers, and finished with 16 points to go along with two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Also of note, senior guard Andrea Hackett (Springfield, Ohio/Catholic Central) added 11 points and senior post Kathy Hittle (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) was tops in the game with 11 rebounds. Hittle always does the little things well, as evidenced by her game-high five steals and six points.
Cassie Bedard led the Terriers, who fell to 5-7 overall and 1-3 in the North Coast Athletic Conference, with a game-high 18 points. Wittenberg, which is now 18-0 all-time against Hiram, improved to 7-6 overall and 4-1 in the NCAC, good for a second-place tie with Allegheny - one game behind unbeaten Denison.