Dan Russ
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — It wasn't a work of art, but in the end it was a thing of beauty for the Wittenberg Tigers.
For the second straight night, the Tigers advanced in the NCAA Division III the hard way, fending off a stern challenge on their home floor. A night after defeating second-ranked Hope College, 56-49, in the Round of 16, the Tigers pulled away late in the second half to capture a hard-fought 74-61 win over 20th-ranked Transylvania University.
With the win, the third-ranked Tigers improved to 29-3 on the season and punched their ticket to Salem, Va., for the national semifinals. Wittenberg, which will be making its seventh appearance in the Final Four and first since 1994, will take on Amherst College at 6 p.m. Friday, March 17, in Salem, Va.
For the second straight game, the Tigers never trailed, although the outcome was in doubt until the final moments. Wittenberg pulled out to a 12-4 lead through the first seven minutes of the game, but despite numerous opportunities, the Tigers were unable to pull away. Transylvania closed to within 23-22 on a three-point play by Marc Bain with 3:16 left in the first half. But Wittenberg went on a 4-0 run to close the half on a free throw by senior Dane Borchers and a clutch three-pointer by freshman D.J. Corbett with 1:13 left.
In the second half, Transylvania pulled even at 28-28 less than two minutes into the half on two free throws from Bain, but Wittenberg answered that with a 12-5 run, keyed by a pair of three-pointers from junior wing Billy Bowen. From that point, the closest the Pioneers would get was four points as foul trouble set in and the Tigers hit just enough free throws to keep Transylvania at bay. Three Pioneers fouled out of the game in the closing minutes.
For the game, Wittenberg shot 48 percent from the field and Transylvania hit 44 percent, but the Pioneers hit just 4-of-18 from three-point range, including 0-for-8 in the first half. On the flip side, the Tigers took advantage of their outside looks, making 5-of-12 from three-point range. The key difference came at the free throw line as the Pioneers made a respectable 17-of-25, compared to 29-of-47 for the Tigers, including a whopping 24-of-36 in the second half alone.
Both teams committed 12 turnovers, but the other key for Wittenberg was rebounding. After pulling down 16 more than Hope on Friday, the Tigers again owned the boards against Transylvania, holding a 40-23 advantage. Leading the charge was senior post Daniel Russ, who had a game-high 13 rebounds to go along with 12 points as he earned sectional Most Outstanding Player honors. Russ moved into ninth place on the all-time Wittenberg scoring list during the game.
Offensively, the Tigers spread the wealth again, putting four players in double figures. Russ and senior wing Kenny Brady, who was 8-of-9 from the free throw line, finished with 12 apiece, followed by Bowen with 11 and Borchers with 10. Freshman guard Gregg Hill also made the all-tournament team as he finished with six points, five steals and two assists in 23 quality minutes off the bench.
Transylvania, which capped its best season as a member of NCAA Division III with a 27-5 overall record, was paced by the 18 points of Bryan Howard and the 15 points and eight rebounds from guard Marc Bain. Joey Searle added 11 points and six rebounds.
TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets for the national semifinals and finals will go on sale Monday from 5-7 p.m., Tuesday from 3-7 p.m. and Wednesday from 3-7 p.m. in the lobby of the HPER Center. Also, information about buses for fans will be forthcoming. Click Here for information about Salem, Va. and the NCAA Division III Semifinals and Finals.