SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The rematch of the Earlham Quakers and Wittenberg Tigers proved to be much different than the meeting the two teams shared a fortnight prior. Earlham battled to an early lead but could not keep the Tigers down in the second half, as Wittenberg rallied to a 73-64 win.
Earlham responded to a 78-59 rout in Richmond with sharp shooting from beyond the arc in the first half. The Quakers parlayed the hot start into a 37-29 lead at the break that sent the Tigers reeling into the locker room. Wittenberg enjoyed one of their most prolific shooting performances of the season, however, ending up at 47 percent (29 for 62) for the game after a fine second half.
The largest difference between the two teams was the lack of distance between the two teams in rebounding margin. After the Red and White had dominated the glass in the first meeting, Earlham held their own on the boards for the majority of the contest, before Wittenberg began to crash the glass in the second half. The 37-27 rebounding margin in favor of Wittenberg proved to be a far less indicative factor in the game than the Tigers would have liked.
Junior wing Victoria Leali (Jackson, Ohio/Jackson) led the way with 14 points off the bench for the Tigers, providing a big spark in the second half when the Tigers claimed their first lead since the opening minutes. Junior wing Carrie Dyer (Copley, Ohio/Copley) had her way on the baseline, scoring short-range baskets after beating her defenders. Her 12 points and seven rebounds highlighted another strong performance for the winger.
Freshman guard Allie Leopard (Urbana, Ohio/Urbana) broke into double-figures with a 10-point outburst, where she did most of her damage at the free throw line. The duo of sophomore wing Katherine Hueter (Columbus, Ohio/Hilliard Darby)and junior wing Katie Gardner (Newark, Ohio/Catholic) stuffed the stat lines as well, combining for 12 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and four steals.
The win for the Tigers marked the 25th in Sarah Jurewicz' young career, while Wittenberg moved to 10-5 and 5-2 in conference play. The win sets up a showdown for second place in the North Coast Athletic Conference, with the Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops coming to town on Saturday, Jan. 24 for a 2 p.m. meeting.
Written By: Ben Bradley, SID Assistant