Wittenberg def. Manchester, 73-48

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers used a punishing post game to grind out a 73-48 victory over visiting Manchester in the second semifinal game of the 2005 Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Classic.

With the win, the Tigers moved back over the .500 mark on the season at 5-4 and into the tournament championship game on Friday at 6 p.m. Wittenberg, which won the title last year over Hanover, will square off with 2005 NCAA Division III qualifier Albion, which improved to 7-3 on the season with an 80-53 semifinal win over Mount St. Joseph.

The Tigers streaked out to a 29-11 lead late in the first half and eventually took a 33-19 lead into the locker room. The Spartans managed just 24 percent shooting from the field in the opening 20 minutes and were outscored 24-6 in the paint by the bigger, more physical Tigers. It didn't help that starting post player Jessica Henn left the game midway through the half and didn't return.

By game's end, the Tigers exposed the Spartans in the paint, winning the scoring battle by a whopping 46-14 margin and outrebounding Manchester, which fell to 8-2 on the season, 51-36. Individually, Wittenberg picked up 17 points and 10 rebounds from junior post Kathy Hittle and 13 points and 11 rebounds from sophomore post Ali Rohlfs.

Wittenberg, playing at home for just the second time in the young season, also picked up nine points and four rebounds each from freshman wing Rachel Dixon and junior wing Megan Miller. As a team, the Tigers blocked a season-high seven shots, including three by Hittle, and collected 20 assists, including five apiece for Rohlfs and junior guard Andrea Hackett.

Manchester was paced by 13 points and seven rebounds from Kelley Meiklejohn and eight points each from Sarah Bose, Stacey Wendel and Mandy Freed.