SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg women's basketball team mounted a late rally against the Cedarville squad on Saturday, but fell by a final score of 75-63 against the visiting Yellow Jackets. Wittenberg moves to 1-3 on the season while nationally-ranked Cedarville is now 5-1.
The Tigers slipped to 16-point deficits twice in the second half, and both times chopped the Cedarville lead back down to six. The second rally came to a conclusion with just 1:24 left to play in the game. Over that last minute and a half, Wittenberg went without a field goal while Cedarville built their advantage to its final margin of 12, all via free throws.
Instrumental in the second-half rallies were junior wing Katherine Hueter (Columbus, Ohio/Hilliard Darby) and sophomore post Sarah Watson (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson), who together scored 32 of the team's 40 second-period points. In that time, Hueter went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc and 5-of-10 overall, while Watson was 6-of-8 from the field, including 4-of-6 from long range and 3-of-5 from the free throw line. On the night, Hueter scored 13 points and pulled down eight rebounds, and Watson matched her rebound total but led the team with 19 points.
Just as influential, though mostly in the first half, was senior post Stephanie Boardman (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley). She netted the Tigers' first four baskets of the game, continuing on to a team-high 10 points in the first half and 14 for the game on 7-of-13 shooting, adding seven rebounds.
The Tigers improved on their season shooting percentage of 32.6 entering the game, earned against two nationally ranked teams including #2 Hope, with a 26-for-63, 41.3-percent outing against the NAIA Div. II #11 Yellow Jackets. That brings Wittenberg to a string of three consecutive games played against nationally ranked teams.
The string ends, however, as the Tigers next prepare for a 2 p.m. matchup at Wooster on Saturday, Dec. 5.
Written by: John Strawn '07