MEADVILLE, Pa. - The Wittenberg Tigers did it the hard way. But after pulling out an unlikely 70-59 road win over Allegheny, the Tigers are alone in second place in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) and owners of plenty of momentum heading into the stretch run of the 2014-15 season.
The win was secured only after a stunning 21-point turnaround in the second half as Wittenberg rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to a key 11-point victory. The Tigers improved to 17-5 overall, but more importantly Wittenberg stands 9-3 and in sole possession of second place in the NCAC standings with four regular season games remaining.
Wittenberg led for much of the first half before Allegheny put together a 25-10 run to end the session and take a 41-31 lead into the locker room at intermission. The Tigers turned the tables quickly in the second half, however, pulling ahead on a three-pointer by sophomore Riley McDonald (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) with 10:52 remaining.
That basket jumpstarted a decisive 12-1 run for the Tigers. From there, Tiger defense took over as Allegheny finished the second half shooting just 22 percent from the field.
For the game, Wittenberg shot 46 percent from the field, while Allegheny hit 36.8 percent of its shots. Both teams made eight three-pointers and made a similar percentage from the free throw line (58.3 for Wittenberg and 56.3 for Allegheny). The Tigers held a commanding edge in rebounding, however, as Wittenberg parlayed a 12-rebound margin into an 18-9 edge in second-chance points.
Individually, Wittenberg was paced on offence by senior Darbie Zirkle (St. Paris, Ohio/Graham) with 21 points. She was joined in double figures by senior Katelyn Haralamos (Maineville, Ohio/Kings) with 18 points and a game-high nine rebounds, in addition to four assists, and senior Enri Small (Columbus, Ohio/Columbus School for Girls) with 13 points to go along with five rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Wittenberg's sixth win in a row gave the Tigers a one-game lead over Oberlin in the race for second in the league standings. Allegheny, which defeated Wittenberg at Pam Evans Smith Arena in January, fell to 13-8 overall and 6-6 in the league.
Written By: Ryan Maurer