GAMBIER, Ohio — It is said that lightning doesn't strike twice. It didn't necessarily strike in the same location, but it did strike the same team Tuesday as the Wittenberg Tigers dropped a 73-60 decision to North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC)-leading Kenyon.
The win all but wrapped up the 2008 NCAC regular season championship for the Ladies, who improved to 15-6 overall and 12-0 in the conference. Kenyon now leads second-place Wittenberg and Ohio Wesleyan but three games in the loss column with just four to play before the annual NCAC Tournament. The Tigers fell to 9-9 overall and 8-3 in the conference.
Kenyon led the first 30 minutes of the game before the Tigers went on a 14-6 run to turn a 51-46 Ladies advantage into a three-point Wittenberg lead with 5:33 remaining. However, a pair of free throws by sophomore post Stephanie Boardman (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley) that gave Wittenberg a 60-57 lead were the Tigers' last of the evening. Eerily like the first meeting between the two teams - a 70-60 Kenyon win at Wittenberg's HPER Center - the Ladies finished the game on a lengthy scoring run to secure the win.
In that game, Kenyon scored the game's final 11 points over 4:06. In the rematch, the Ladies scored 16 in a row to pull out the victory.
Wittenberg shot 40 percent from the field and 64 percent from the free throw line - both in line with season averages for the Tigers. After winning the rebounding battle decisively, 42-31, the difference in the game was ballhandling as the Tigers committed 25 turnovers, compared to 15 for Kenyon.
Senior post Katie Gregorevich (Northfield, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) led the Tigers with 21 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots. Sophomore wing Carrie Dyer (Copley, Ohio/Copley) added 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while Boardman added 10 points off the bench.