GAMBIER, Ohio - Picked to finish fourth in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) prior to the 2009-10 season, the Wittenberg Tigers once again defied convention, taking to the road to capture at least a share of the regular season championship with a 56-48 win over Kenyon.
The victory, Wittenberg's 12th straight since a 4-6 start to the season, improved the Tigers to 16-6 overall and, more importantly, a perfect 14-0 in the NCAC. Kenyon, picked to finish second prior to the season, dropped to 14-8 overall and 7-6 in the conference.
The Tigers can do no worse than tie for first place in the final NCAC standings, as they have a two-game lead over preseason favorite Ohio Wesleyan and the tiebreaker after sweeping two meetings with the Battling Bishops. Wittenberg wraps up the regular season with a pair of home games - against Wooster at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, and against Earlham at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 17.
After a strong start, the Tigers found themselves trailing at halftime by one point. The two teams then battled back and forth through the first eight minutes of the second half before a decisive 9-0 Wittenberg run turned a 31-29 deficit into a 38-31 lead with 11:06 remaining. The Ladies could get no closer than three points the rest of the way.
As a team, Wittenberg shot 42 percent from the field, including 3-of-9 from three-point range. A key to the game was controlling the battle of the boards, 40-34, which made up for 19 turnovers, compared to 15 for Kenyon, which 32 percent from the field, including a miserable 2-of-17 from long distance.
Individually, Wittenberg was led by senior Stephanie Boardman (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley) with 16 points and seven rebounds. During the game, she became just the fifth Wittenberg player with 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds. Senior Carrie Dyer (Copley, Ohio/Copley) added 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals, while sophomore Sarah Watson (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson)added 12 points and four boards. Also of note was the play of senior Kellsea Vasileff (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee), who contributed seven points in 10 quality minutes off the bench. She made both of her field goals - a pair of three-pointers.