CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. - The Wittenberg Tigers played their first game in a week and their first road game in almost a month, and the rust apparently showed as host Thomas More College rallied from a 13-point first half deficit and captured a 78-73 decision over Wittenberg.

The loss dropped the Tigers to 3-5 overall on the 2004-05 season, and it was the latest in a string of close losses against quality opponents. Wittenberg's five losses have all come by less than 14 points, and four of them have come by 10 points or less. This five-point defeat, to another struggling 2004 NCAA Division III Tournament team, is sure to sting as much as any of them, thanks to the loss of a 13-point first-half lead.

Statistically, these two youthful teams stacked up numbers that appeared strikingly similar - except in the areas of personal fouls and free throws. The Saints were whistled for 13 fouls in the entire game and the Tigers managed 5-of-8 from the free throw line as a result. On the other hand, Wittenberg was tagged with 23 personals, leading to 17-of-27 from the charity stripe.

Even with that foul disparity, this was Wittenberg's game to win until the waning seconds. The Tigers held the lead until an Alyson Byars jumper gave Thomas More a 59-58 lead with 5:57 remaining in the entire game. Wittenberg's last lead came on a Carrie Jones jumper in the paint with 3:21 left at 66-65, but Thomas More finished the game on a 13-7 run, sparked by a key three-pointer at the 2:51 mark that gave the Saints the lead for good.

The Tigers put three players in double figures offensively, led by sophomore post Rachel Clark-Haggy's career-high 15 points, senior guard Emilie Schmid's season-best 14 tallies and junior guard Carrie Jones' 10 points. Sophomore post Kathy Hittle added seven points and a team-high seven rebounds. Thomas More got 71 of its 78 points from double-figure scorers, led by Megan Wood with 24.