Kim Replogle
ROCHESTER, NY — It was gut-check time, and over the final 2:17 of the consolation game of the Chuck Resler Tournament at the University of Rochester the Wittenberg Tigers responded in the best way possible, outscoring SUNY New Paltz 9-0 down the stretch to claim a 65-62 victory.
The Tigers were facing the very real prospect of an 0-3 start to the 2011-12 season if they had lost to SUNY New Paltz. Instead, seven of the final nine points came from freshmen as the Tigers combined a stout defensive effort with clutch shooting over the final two minutes to improve to 1-2 on the young season. SUNY New Paltz fell to 0-3.
For the second straight day, it was turnovers that proved costly for Wittenberg, although the Tigers showed great improvement from a 79-73 loss to Baruch. After being charged with a whopping 36 miscues in that game, Wittenberg committed 21 turnovers against SUNY New Paltz, compared to just nine for the Hawks.
Wittenberg trailed most of the game against SUNY New Paltz, which had lost to host Rochester in the opener on Friday. But the Tigers came up with the big plays down the stretch, starting with an unconventional three-point possession at the 2:04 mark. Freshman Enri Small (Columbus, Ohio/Columbus School for Girls)made her first free throw but missed the second, but junior Kim Replogle (Houston, Ohio/Houston) grabbed the rebound and scored on a short jumper to cut the lead to three.
One minute later, Small knocked down a jumper to pull the Tigers within one point, and again the Wittenberg defense held. Finally, with just 15 seconds remaining, it was freshman Amber Lara (Oak Park, Ill./River Forest) with a lay-up to give the Tigers the lead. After Wittenberg again stiffened, Lara capped the game with a pair of free throws with just one second left on the clock.
Replogle led the Tigers with 13 points and 10 rebounds in the contest, while Small added 11 points and six boards off the bench. Senior Lyndsey Clark (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh) contributed 10 points and five rebounds, while seniorSarah Watson (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) was named to the all-tournament team after finishing with eight points and six rebounds, a night after going for 26 points and 13 rebounds against Baruch.
Wittenberg shot 47 percent for the game, compared to 37 percent for SUNY New Paltz. While the Tigers were hurt by their aforementioned turnovers, they more than made up for it on the glass, winning the rebounding battle 44-26.