HANOVER, Ind. – Wittenberg women's basketball finished a season-opening weekend with a 1-1 record in the Hanover Tip-Off Classic, falling to the host Panthers 74-61 on Saturday.

The decision moved Wittenberg to even at 1-1 on the young season, while Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference preseason-favorite Hanover improved to 2-0.

The Tigers won the overall rebounding battle 46-37, including a strong 27-8 advantage underneath Hanover's hoop, but offensively the Tigers struggled in the first half before playing a much improved second period.

After shooting 23 percent to finish the first 20 minutes trailing 32-22, Wittenberg found its range and made 16 of 33 field goals (48.5 percent) in the back half of the contest. The increased efficiency led to a much closer second half at 42-39 in favor of Hanover.

The Tigers relief most on senior Kim Replogle (Houston, Ohio/Houston) and junior Amber Rice (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern), who posted matching totals of 11 points and five rebounds. For Rice, it was her second-straight game leading the Tigers in scoring after posting a career-high 21 points on Friday in a 64-54 win over Transylvania.

Sophomore Katelyn Haralamos (Maineville, Ohio/Kings) chipped in 10 points and five rebounds, followed by Enri Small (Columbus, Ohio/Columbus School for Girls) with eight points and senior Sarah Skidmore (Troy, Ohio/Miami East) with seven.

On the boards, sophomore Amber Lara (Oak Park, Ill./River Forest) led the effort with seven rebounds, including four offensive grabs.

Wittenberg returns to Springfield for its home opener on Tuesday, Nov. 20, versus Capital at 7:30 p.m. Tune into live streaming video and follow along with live statistics, all on www.WittenbergTigers.com.

John Strawn '07