SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg Tigers sprinted out to a 10-0 lead to start the game and never looked back, cruising to a 71-57 Senior Recognition Night victory over Earlham. The win clinched the Tigers' first outright North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) regular season title since 2006.
The win moved the Tigers to 17-7 overall and 15-1 in the NCAC. Earlham, which was making its final appearance in the HPER Center as a member of the NCAC, dropped to 3-21 overall and 2-13 in the conference. The Quakers were eliminated from contention for a spot in next week's NCAC Tournament, while the Tigers have advanced to play an opponent to be determined in the quarterfinals at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23.
Wittenberg was hot early, hitting their first four shots from the field to go along with two free throws from senior post Stephanie Boardman (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley)for a 10-0 lead at the 17:21 mark. The lead reached 15 points late in the first half and 18 late in the second half.
Boardman put together another tremendous game, finishing with 24 points and five rebounds, including shooting performances of 9-of-11 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. If that performance could be upstaged however, it could only be by the numbers posted by her teammate, senior wing Carrie Dyer (Copley, Ohio/Copley). All she did was pour in a career-high 26 points (her second straight game with a career high point total) on 12-of-15 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 from the line. In addition, Dyer contributed five assists, seven rebounds and three steals.
Boardman and Dyer were two of five seniors honored prior to the game, and they weren't alone in stuffing the stats sheet. Senior guard Elise Jenkins (Elida, Ohio/Elida) finished with zero points, but she ran the point extremely well, contributing six assists, seven rebounds and three steals to the attack. Senior wingKellsea Vasileff (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) added three points and three rebounds off the bench, while senior post Amber Lough (Springfield, Ohio/Northwestern) chipped in with four points and two rebounds, also off the bench.