OBERLIN, Ohio — The Wittenberg Tigers tuned up for the biggest game of the 2007-08 season with a 66-48 road win at Oberlin.
The win moved the Tigers above .500 overall for the first time this season at 6-5. More importantly, Wittenberg now stands 5-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) with first place on the line against Kenyon at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 16, in Pam Evans Smith Arena. Oberlin dropped to 1-11 overall and 0-4 in the conference.
Wittenberg never trailed after taking a 3-0 lead on a three-pointer by senior post Katie Gregorevich (Northfield, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) just 14 seconds into the game. The lead was 32-21 by halftime and it reached a high of 24 points on a three-pointer by junior wing Katie Gardner (Newark, Ohio/Catholic) with 14:45 left in the game.
The key for the Tigers on this day was balance. Sophomore guard Victoria Leali (Jackson, Ohio/Jackson) led the way with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field. She added three assists, three steals and the first two blocked shots of her collegiate career in a fine 24-minute effort.
Gardner came off the bench to contribute 11 points and three steals in 18 productive minutes, while Gregorevich chipped in with nine points and a game-high seven rebounds. Nine of the 12 Wittenberg players who saw action in the game scored at least two points and 10 of the 12 pulled down at least one rebound.
For the game, Wittenberg shot a solid 43 percent from the field, including a season-best 9-of-22 performance from the three-point range. Both teams committed 25 turnovers, but Wittenberg held a four-rebound advantage.