Wittenberg Falls In NCAA Division III Sweet Sixteen

ADA, Ohio - The Wittenberg University Tigers followed a formula for winning all season. First, the Tigers outrebounded their opponents every time on the floor. Second, the Tigers held their foes to poor shooting from the field. And third, the Tigers usually wore down the opposition with a deep, big bench that closed out games extremely well.

On Friday night in the NCAA Division III sectional semifinal at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio, there was no more formula left in the beaker. The Tigers dropped an 82-66 decision to the host Polar Bears and thus ended the 2000-01 season with a 24-4 overall record.

It was a tough way to conclude a spectacular season for the Tigers. The North Coast Athletic Conference regular season champions, Wittenberg had moved into the sectional by defeating Maryville College last Saturday in the second round after taking a bye. But on this night, the Ohio Athletic Conference regular season and tournament champion Polar Bears came out strong and never let the Tigers up for air.

After falling behind by 16 points at halftime, Wittenberg rallied to within 10 points on two occasions in the second half, but the Polar Bears, who had five players in double figures and shot 9-of-19 from three-point range, answered each time. Senior forward Ryan Taylor led the Tigers with 12 points in his final collegiate game. Senior center Chris Fillmore added 10 in his final game, while sophomore forward Kevin Longley chipped in with seven points and 10 rebounds.

The difference in the game was turnovers. The Tigers, who averaged less than 14 per game for the season, committed 20 costly miscues. In addition, Wittenberg shot just 38 percent from the field in the first half, just 22 percent from three-point range in the entire game and were outrebounded 33-32 - the first time all season that a team had outworked them on the glass.