CINCINNATI, Ohio — Playing in front of a large contingent of supportive Tiger fans, a new era of Wittenberg women's basketball opened with a 66-52 win over Mount St. Joseph. It was the first career win for new Head Coach Sarah Jurewicz, who replaced the late Pam Smith in August.
It was the season opener for the Tigers, who head into an eight-day lay-off before a game at perennial powerhouse Wilmington on a positive note with a 1-0 record. Mount St. Joseph dropped to 0-3 on the young campaign.
The Tigers trailed through much of the first half before lay-ups by sophomore posts Stephanie Boardman (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley) and Rachel Kohlruss (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) gave Wittenberg a 28-26 lead with 3:27 to go. After the Lions tied the score, Wittenberg took a two-point edge into the locker room on the strength of a jumper from senior wing Ellie Stonecash (Springboro, Ohio/Middletown Fenwick) with 26 seconds left.
The final 10 minutes of the second half was all Wittenberg as the Tigers put together a 14-point run to stretch a 43-40 edge into a 57-40 cushion. Junior wing Katie Gardner (Newark, Ohio/Catholic) got things started with a three-pointer - Wittenberg's only make from beyond the arc all night - and senior post Ali Rohlfs (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) capped it with a lay-up at the 3:58 mark.
The team statistics were quite even as the Lions shot better from three-point range and from the free throw line but Wittenberg held a 44 percent to 35 percent overall shooting advantage while taking 10 more shots. The Tigers won the battle of the boards 39-36 and both teams committed 21 turnovers.
Individually, Wittenberg was paced by 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting from senior post Katie Gregorevich (Northfield, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit). She added four rebounds, three assists and three steals in a productive 23-minute performance. Sophomore guard Victoria Leali (Jackson, Ohio/Jackson) added a career-high 11 points in her first collegiate starting assignment and Boardman contributed 10 points and three rebounds in 18 solid minutes off the bench.