GEORGETOWN, Texas - The Wittenberg Tigers knew the early part of the 2004-05 women's basketball season was going to be one of trial and error as they fit a host of new pieces and parts into a team. The difficulties of playing a tough schedule with a young, inexperienced lineup showed in the season opener Friday in the first round of the Southwestern University Tipoff Tournament as the Tigers lost 63-53 to Howard Payne.

The Tigers never led in the game, but they were never out of it either. The largest lead in the game was 11 points, but Wittenberg also couldn't close the gap inside of five points in the second half.

Several statistical differences stand out in the postgame analysis. The Tigers committed 25 turnovers to 22 for Howard Payne, but in combination with a rebounding deficit of 44-38, Wittenberg allowed its foe far too many offensive opportunities. Those were cashed in many times at the free throw line as the Tigers were whistled for 11 more fouls than their counterparts, leading to a decisive 18-9 advantage at the charity stripe for Howard Payne.

Freshman Ali Rohlfs led the Tigers with 11 points in her first collegiate appearance, and her frontcourt mate, sophomore Kathy Hittle, had a solid game with eight points and a team-high eight rebounds. Sophomore guard Megan Miller came off the bench to hit for 10 points, although she hit just 2-of-9 three-point attempts, part of a 4-for-22 team effort from beyond the arc.

Wittenberg takes on McMurry at 3 p.m. eastern on Saturday before heading back to Ohio.