2009-10 News
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Wooster's Ian Franks has been named Player of the Year to highlight the 2010 All-North Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball squad, while Wittenberg junior Chris Sullivan and senior David Nowicki collected the first All-NCAC honors of their respective collegiate careers.
Wittenberg University's men's basketball team recorded another 20-plus win season during the 2009-10 campaign as the Tigers compiled a 21-7 overall record.
The Wittenberg Tigers fell behind 9-2 in the first five minutes and never dug out of the hole, losing the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament championship game to host Wooster, 88-77.
Twice during the 2009-10 regular season, the Wittenberg Tigers and Wabash Little Giants tangled on the hardwood. Both times, the Tigers held a first-half lead, only to go cold down the stretch and lose.
For the first time in three years, the Wittenberg Tigers simultaneously reached both the 20-win plateau and the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament semifinals with a convincing 85-63 victory over visiting Hiram.
With a 107-74 victory at Oberlin Saturday afternoon, the Wittenberg men's basketball team moved to a final North Coast Athletic Conference record of 11-5, finishing the regular season tied for third with Allegheny.
A game of inches. Trailing 70-64 with one minute remaining on Senior Recognition Night against Wabash, the Wittenberg Tigers knocked down one three-pointer, forced a Little Giant miss and then went for the tie.
When the Wittenberg and Wooster men's basketball teams first met in the 2009-10 season, the affair was closely contested throughout. In the second meeting, the Tigers never trailed, leveraging 18 Wooster turnovers to down the Scots and even the season series.
The Wittenberg men's basketball team caught fire in the second half against Earlham Wednesday night, lighting up Pam Evans Smith Arena with 57 percent shooting to sail to a 90-52 victory and improve to 17-5 overall and 9-4 in the North Coast Athletic Conference.
The Wittenberg Tigers had their backs against the wall entering the week 6-4 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). They responded with a big win at Ohio Wesleyan on Wednesday and then capped their big week with a 66-58 home victory over Hiram.
After squandering a 16-point first-half lead at arch-rival Ohio Wesleyan, it was nothing short of gut-check time for the Wittenberg Tigers. They answered the bell, outscoring the host Battling Bishops 13-6 over the final 5:55 to claim a clutch 82-75 victory.
The Wittenberg Tigers let a late first-half lead slip away and now find the road to the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament a bit more bumpy after a 60-56 loss to visiting Allegheny.
The Wittenberg Tigers found their collective shooting stroke and snapped a two-game losing streak with an 88-74 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) victory over host Earlham.
The Wittenberg Tigers started fast, but they couldn't come up with the big shots when they needed them most down the stretch, leading to a 66-56 loss to arch-rival Wooster.
All of the things that went so right during an eight-game win streak went the other direction for the Wittenberg Tigers, resulting in a 64-57 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) loss at Wabash.
The Wittenberg University Tigers and the College of Wooster Fighting Scots, two of most successful men's basketball programs in all of NCAA Division III, will renew their spirited North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) rivalry at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, in Wittenberg's Pam Evans Smith Arena, and tickets are once again in demand.