SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — In the third of four nonconference games against nationally ranked opponents in the first six weeks of the 2006-07 season, the Wittenberg Tigers finally got over the hump Wednesday, pulling out a 77-68 victory over 12th-ranked Wilmington College.
The win was Wittenberg's second in a row, and it pushed the Tigers back above the .500 mark for the first time since they won the season opener against Buena Vista in the Midway Classic at the University of Chicago. Heading into a nine-day layoff preceding the Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Classic at Wittenberg, the Tigers hold a 5-4 overall record, while Wilmington suffered its first loss of the season to drop to 8-1 overall.
There were nine ties in the first half before the Tigers' offense got untracked with a 12-0 run, keyed by a pair of three pointers and nine total points from senior wing Gina Carney (Lexington, Ky./Catholic). However, a 38-30 halftime advantage quickly disappeared as the Quakers put together a 12-2 run to open the final 20 minutes.
The lead seesawed back and forth for about 10 minutes before the Tigers put together another burst, keyed this time by five points from sophomore guard Kristin Donawerth (Harrison, Ohio/Harrison) and four from senior post Kathy Hittle (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville). That mushroomed a 55-53 lead into a commanding 66-54 lead with 1:54 remaining in the game.
Wilmington committed seven fouls in the final two minutes, but Wittenberg foiled that strategy by draining 13-of-16 free throws, including 6-of-6 by Donawerth, who finished with a career-high 15 points to go along with three assists and two steals in 30 productive minutes. Carney had career-highs in points, steals and rebounds with 12, four and eight respectively.
Senior wing Rachel Clark-Haggy (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) also played a key role, hitting for a season-high 17 points and also adding five rebounds, three assists and two steals in a well-rounded effort. In addition, junior post Katie Gregorevich (Northfield, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) chipped in with 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals off the bench, and Hittle fought through constant interior pressure to finish with nine points, a game-high 10 rebounds and three steals.
Key team stats in the game were a five-rebound margin for the Tigers and a 10-turnover differential in favor of Wittenberg, which combined to offset a higher shooting percentage for the Quakers (47-40). Wilmington was paced by Kelly Peters, who led four players in double figures with 16 points. Katie Streck added 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds.