SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - After getting off to a slow start, the Wittenberg women's basketball team turned it on in the second half to defeat the visiting Edison Chargers, 72-54, in the opening round of the 2006 Charles B. Zimmerman Classic Tournament. The win was the Tigers' third in a row and improved their record to 6-4.
Offensively, the Tigers were paced by senior wing Rachel Clark-Haggy (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) and freshman post Stephanie Boardman (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley), who each notched 14 points in the victory.
Boardman had a career day for the Red & White, coming off the bench to record her first collegiate double-double. She pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds to go with her 14 points. In total, three players scored in double figures as senior post Kathy Hittle (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) tacked on 11 points and seven rebounds.
The Tigers beat the Chargers in nearly every aspect of the game. The Tigers won the battle of the boards, 60-46, with nearly half of those (26) coming on the offensive end. The Tigers' post players were the difference in this game, scoring 46 points in the paint while controlling the fast-paced tempo of the Chargers.
Once again, the Tigers showed strength in numbers by getting a wealth of scoring from their experienced bench. The Tigers' bench accounted for a whopping 36 points, compared to 12 for the Chargers.
In the win, the Tigers advanced to the championship game to face Ohio Athletic Conference power and No. 3-ranked Baldwin-Wallace, which defeated Centre College in the other first round game.