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Men's Basketball  2002-2003 News Releases
March 5, 2003 (20-6, 14-2 NCAC)
Coach: Bill Brown (10th season)
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| Daniel Russ |
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| Kevin Longley |
The Tiger men's basketball team went into the NCAC tournament with a head of steam, having won six straight games, including a defeat of nationally ranked eventual regular season champion Wooster on Feb. 15. Unfortunately, that momentum didn't carry over into the tourney as the Tigers struggled to defeat Denison on Tuesday in the quarterfinals before falling to No. 3 seed Allegheny in the semifinals on Friday night at Wooster.
The week started with a hard-fought 80-74 victory over visiting Denison. Wittenberg had won the previous two meetings 70-48 and 75-51, but the seventh-seeded Big Red gave the second-seeded and defending NCAC tournament champion Tigers all they could handle in the third meeting, forcing eight lead changes, including one as late as the 10:15 mark of the second half.
After that, however, Wittenberg slowly pulled away for the win. Senior forward Kevin Longley (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) scored eight points in the final six minutes of the game to finish with a season-high 20 tallies, while junior guard Rod Emmons (South Bend, Ind./John Adams) added four free throws in the final 23 seconds to finally seal the deal.
Wittenberg got 20 points from Longley, 19 from freshman center Daniel Russ (Louisville, Ky./Trinity) and 17 tallies from senior center B.J. Harris (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins). Those three players made 19-of-23 shots from the field as they completely dominated the paint.
Against Allegheny, the Tigers dominated the rebounding category 40-26, made 10 more shots while shooting 52 percent from the field (compared to 38 percent for Allegheny) and also hit 80 percent of their free throw attempts. The difference in a 73-72 Allegheny upset was three-point shooting as the Gators hit an NCAC tournament record 13 from beyond the arc, and free throw shooting as the Gators made 18-of-21, including six straight in the final 2:51 of the game.
And thus, for the first time in three years, the Tigers will be watching the NCAC tournament title game from the sidelines. The Gators had previously dashed Wittenberg's hopes of a third consecutive NCAC regular season championship on Feb. 8 with a 66-63 victory in Meadville, Pa.
The Gators got out of the gate with a three-pointer just one minute into play and eventually stretched the lead to 38-22 with a 13-0 run. Wittenberg responded with a 12-4 run to close the half and came back to take a 50-48 lead with 11:25 remaining. The lead see-sawed back and forth the rest of the way before Wittenberg misfired on two shots in the final 12 seconds.
For the game, Wittenberg once again got almost all of its points in the paint as Harris led the way with 16 points and seven rebounds in his final game in the Red and White. Sophomore forward Andy Bucheit (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) provided a lift off the bench with 14 points after missing Tuesday's win due to illness and Russ and Longley each added 10 points. Longley led the Tigers on the boards with nine rebounds.
Next: Season Complete
Men's & Women's Swimming and Diving
Coach: Leslie Ramsey (second season)
The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams learned last week that junior Steve Rader (Painesville, Ohio/Cleveland St. Ignatius) and freshman Rebecca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County Bloomington) had qualified for the NCAA Division III Championship Meets scheduled for March 13-15 for the women and March 20-22 for the men.
Rader is making his third consecutive appearance in the national meet. Already an All-America honoree several times over, Rader posted an NCAA B cut time in the 200-yard Individual Medley after finishing second in the event at the NCAC meet. Searcy posted three NCAA B cuts after improving her times in the 500 free, 1650 free and 400 IM at the NCAC meet. She finished fifth in the 500 free with a time of 5:07.37, fourth in the 1650 free in 17:39.54 and third in the 400 IM in 4:36.63. The latter time was a school record and earned Searcy her first All-NCAC honor.
Next: 3/13-15 NCAA Div. III Champs.
at Atlanta, Ga. (Women)
3/20-22 NCAA Div. III Champs.
at Atlanta, Ga. (Men)
February 25, 2003 (19-5, 14-2 NCAC)
Coach: Bill Brown (10th season)
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| Rod Emmons |
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| Peter Walker |
The Wittenberg men's basketball team did it the hard way, but when the dust had settled on last week's exciting NCAC action, the Tigers had claimed a 14-2 regular season conference record and a 19-5 overall mark for the 2002-03 campaign.
On Wednesday, coming off an emotional home victory four days earlier over nationally ranked Wooster, the Tigers got out of the gates strong before settling into a classic overtime battle at Wabash. After narrowly escaping with a win that night, the Tigers returned home to close out the regular season with a convincing 75-51 win over Denison.
Against Wabash, Wittenberg had to fend off a determined challenge from host Wabash to escape with a thrilling 95-86 overtime victory. The Tigers came out strong behind the shooting of junior guard Rod Emmons (South Bend, Ind./John Adams). Emmons scored 17 of Wittenberg's first 22 points and had 20 tallies by the halftime intermission. During the first 20 minutes of action, Wittenberg moved out to a lead as large as 24 points before Wabash rallied to cut it to 44-33 by halftime.
In the second half, Wittenberg fended off every Little Giant challenge but one. Clinging to an 80-77 lead with eight seconds left, the Tigers attempted to foul Wabash on the drive upcourt, but no infraction was whistled and Wabash tied the game with just three seconds left in regulation.
In the overtime Wittenberg finally pulled away. Senior forward Kevin Longley (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) got things started with a conventional three-point play and fellow senior co-captain, center B.J. Harris (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins), closed things out with four straight free throws in the final 33 seconds.
Emmons finished with a career-high 38 points, a mere 17 more than his previous best total of 21 set in last year's NCAA Division III tournament loss at DePauw. Junior forward Peter Walker (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) added 13 points and seven rebounds. Harris finished with nine points and eight boards, while Longley added nine points and seven caroms.
The Tigers finished off the 2002-03 regular season with a full head of steam, defeating visiting Denison 75-51 to clinch second seed in the upcoming NCAC tournament. Wittenberg never trailed, jumping out to an 8-0 lead and holding onto a double-digit advantage for 33 of the game's 40 minutes. The Tigers worked the lead to 40-18 by halftime and then treaded water through a very even second half to coast to the win.
The difference in the game was shooting - Wittenberg hit 48 percent from the field, including 42 percent from three-point range, and also made 13-of-18 free throw shots. The Big Red managed just 34 percent from the field, 22 percent from beyond the arc and didn't even attempt a free throw in the entire game.
Wittenberg was led by Walker, who had his shooting stroke working en route to a game-high 19 points. Also finishing in double figures on offense was sophomore guard Danny Brywczynski (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont) with 10 points.
Individually, Wittenberg's biggest and best story on Senior Recognition Night was provided by Longley, who became the second player this season to reach the 1,000-point plateau for his career. Longley scored 16 points, including 13 in the first half, and became the 26th player in school history to score 1,000 career points. Harris reached that mark earlier in the season, and he chipped in with six points and eight rebounds on this night.
The two teams will meet again on Tuesday night in the quarterfinals of the NCAC Tournament. Denison is the No. 7 seed in the competition, while Wittenberg, the defending NCAC regular season and tournament champion, is the No. 2 seed behind nationally ranked Wooster. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:45 p.m., immediately following the Wittenberg women's game against Oberlin.
Next: 2/24 vs. Denison, 7:45 p.m.
NCAC Tourn. Quarterfinals
February 18, 2003 (17-5, 12-2 NCAC)
Coach: Bill Brown (10th season)
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| Kevin Longley |
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| Daniel Russ |
The Wittenberg University men's basketball team sent a few messages last week. The first was that the Tigers are very much alive and kicking at the right time of the season as they walloped Earlham 82-39 on Wednesday in what was expected to be a difficult road test. Then on Saturday, the Tigers let the league-leading College of Wooster Fighting Scots know that they were still a factor in the NCAC regular season race with a 61-55 win at home.
The two wins improved Wittenberg to 12-2 in the conference, one game behind Wooster, with two games to play this week, at Wabash and back home against Denison. Overall, Wittenberg is now 17-5, including 15-3 in games that count toward the weekly regional rankings.
Against Earlham, the Tigers played extremely well in winning by a surprising 43-point margin. The Tigers were never challenged as they jumped to a 10-0 lead in the first four minutes and stretched the advantage to 33-14 by halftime. The Quakers were forced into just 18.5 percent shooting from the field, compared to 52 percent for the Tigers, in the first half. The second half was more of the same as Wittenberg pounded the glass to end up with a 46-29 rebounding advantage and the 82-39 victory on the scoreboard.
Wittenberg was paced by senior center B.J. Harris (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins), who finished with 17 points and eight rebounds. He was joined in dominating the paint area by senior forward Kevin Longley (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) with 12 points and six boards and freshman center Daniel Russ (Louisville, Ky./Trinity) with 12 points and 13 rebounds for his first career double-double.
The Tigers limited their turnovers to just 13 in the game, and they finished with a solid 52 percent shooting night from the field and 77 percent shooting night from the free throw line.
On Saturday against fifth-ranked Wooster, the Tigers won an outstanding defensive struggle that typically went right down to the wire. The win kept Wittenberg alive in the NCAC regular season race, although its hopes of pulling off at least a share of a third straight title are still marginal at best.
This game provided the usual theatrics, starting with bruising, physical defensive play in the interior. Wittenberg led by as much as 11 points in the first half and as much as 13 in the second half. Wooster rallied to tie things just once in the entire game, on a three-pointer by Blake Mealer with 2:11 remaining in the second half. But the Tigers scored the final six points, with the go-ahead basket coming with 1:28 remaining on a lay-up by Longley.
Wittenberg, which avenged an 81-64 setback at Wooster on Jan. 22, was led by Longley's 15 points and eight rebounds. Harris finished with 14 points and six rebounds and junior guard Rod Emmons (South Bend, Ind./John Adams) chipped in with nine points and six boards. All three of his field goals were first-half three-pointers that helped the Tigers build the 11-point lead.
For his outstanding play during the week, leadership and defensive play against the probable NCAC Player of the Year, Bryan Nelson of Wooster, Longley was named NCAC Player of the Week. He was the first Tiger player all season to garner the weekly award.
Next: 2/19 at Wabash, 7:30 p.m.
2/22 vs. Denison, 7:30 p.m.
February 11, 2003 (15-5, 10-2 NCAC)
Coach: Bill Brown (ninth season)
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| B.J. Harris |
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| Kevin Longley |
The Tiger men's basketball team won't be mislabeled "Houdini-esque", but last week Wittenberg had to make a couple of escapes to remain alive in the hunt for an NCAC regular season championship.
In wins over Ohio Wesleyan at home on Wednesday and Hiram on the road on Saturday, Wittenberg was forced to play some of its best basketball of the season to survive. The Bishops held an eight-point lead midway through the second half before Wittenberg finally kicked things in gear in the final 10 minutes of the game to claim a 68-58 victory. The Terriers trailed by as much as 24 points after Wittenberg played perhaps its finest half of basketball of the season, but they rallied to within five points with eight minutes to go before the Tigers closed strong again to record a 78-62 win.
Against Ohio Wesleyan, Wittenberg moved out in front early, only to have OWU go on a 6-2 run to close the first half and take a 30-27 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Bishops came out firing in the second, eventually stretching that lead out to 51-43 with 10:25 before Wittenberg stormed back and pulled ahead 55-53 on a clutch three-pointer by sophomore guard Kenny Molz (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) with 5:42 remaining. The Tigers outscored OWU 13-5 the rest of the way to pull out the victory.
The Tigers didn't shoot the ball well, but they did reverse a troubling recent trend, committing just seven turnovers in the game. Wittenberg also won the all-important rebounding battle, 43-30.
The Tigers were led offensively by junior forward Peter Walker (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier), who topped the team in points for a third straight game with 17. Senior center B.J. Harris (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins) added 14 points and nine rebounds, just missing his fourth double-double of the year. Senior forward Kevin Longley (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) chipped in with nine points and 11 rebounds.
Against Hiram, Wittenberg trailed just once in the game, but that doesn't mean things were easy. First-half runs of 11-0 and 15-0 expanded the Tiger advantage to 38-15 with 5:15 remaining and the Tigers went into the locker room with a comfortable 42-21 advantage. But much like the game in Springfield a few weeks earlier, won by Wittenberg 93-75, the Terriers played a much better second half, cutting a 24-point lead to 56-51 with 8:19 left in the game. But Wittenberg closed the game with a 22-11 run to finally seal the deal.
As a team, Wittenberg shot 47 percent from the field and committed just 10 turnovers, but Hiram nearly matched those numbers with a field goal percentage of 40 percent and a mere seven ballhanding miscues. The difference was rebounding as Wittenberg won that battle 47-30 and free throws, as the Tigers attempted 32 shots, compared to Hiram's eight. Wittenberg made 19 free attempts, compared to seven for the Terriers.
Individually, the key to Wittenberg's success was the dominant inside presence of Harris, who recorded his fifth double-double of the season with game-highs of 25 points and 11 rebounds. He had plenty of help, however, as Walker added 16 points and seven rebounds, junior guard Rod Emmons (South Bend, Ind./John Adams) came off the bench to contribute 10 points and six rebounds and sophomore forward Andy Bucheit (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) chipped in with 11 points and four boards. In addition, Longley continued to do yeomen's work inside, adding six points and 10 rebounds to the Tigers' cause.
This week starts with a challenging road game against Earlham, which absorbed an 82-46 loss at Wittenberg on Jan. 29 but came right back to defeat NCAC title contender Wabash. Then on Saturday, Wittenberg hosts sixth-ranked Wooster in the second round of the annual grudge match between the conference's two traditional powers. The Scots won the first game on Jan. 25, 81-64.
Next: 2/12 at Earlham, 8 p.m.
2/15 vs. Wooster, 7:30 p.m.
February 4, 2003 (13-5, 8-2 NCAC)
Coach: Bill Brown (10th season)
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| B.J. Harris |
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| Brett Bowen |
The road can be a treacherous place for a North Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball contender. That was proven true again last week as the Tiger men's basketball team lost its second straight conference road game.
The loss at Allegheny on Saturday came on the heels of what was possibly Wittenberg's finest game of the season, a suprisingly easy 82-46 defeat of visiting Earlham on Wednesday. It left Wittenberg at 13-5 overall, but more importantly the Tigers are 8-2 in the NCAC and two games behind sixth-ranked Wooster in the standings. With several difficult games remaining on the schedule, Wittenberg cannot afford another loss if it wants to complete the rare regular season three-peat and host the NCAC tournament for a third consecutive season.
The game against Earlham was never a contest as Wittenberg sprinted out to a 15-3 lead in the first five minutes of the game. By halftime, the Tigers owned a commanding 40-22 advantage, and that lead only grew in the final 20 minutes. All 14 players in uniform for the Tigers saw at least three minutes of action, and 11 of them scored at least two points.
Four Tiger players finished in double figures in scoring in the game. Junior forward Peter Walker (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) led all scorers with 13 points off the bench on 6-of-6 shooting from the field. Sophomore guard Brett Bowen (Arcadia, Ind./Hamilton Heights) poured in a career-high 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting, including three straight first-half three-pointers. And three starters wound up with 10 points, sophomore forward Andy Bucheit (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle), senior forward Kevin Longley (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) and senior center B.J. Harris (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins).
For Harris, those 10 points were extra meaningful as he went over the 1,000-point plateau for his career. He became the 25th player in Wittenberg history to score more than 1,000 points in his career and the first since Ryan Taylor crossed the threshold in the 2000-01 season.
As a team, Wittenberg won the rebounding battle 37-22 and made 30 of its 53 attempts from the field, good for a 56.6 shooting percentage. In addition, the Tigers hit 56 percent from three-point range and 93 percent (13-of-14) from the free throw line.
But after playing so well against Earlham on Wednesday, the Tigers couldn't find the same form on the road on Saturday at Allegheny. The Gators may be in the middle of the conference pack in 2002-03 but they are clearly a team on the rise, and they broke through for their biggest win of the year 66-63 over Wittenberg.
Allegheny hurt Wittenberg forced 20 Tiger turnovers, a key statistic in a game in which the visitors dominated the rebounding category 46-30, including 20 Wittenberg offensive rebounds. Wittenberg led by as much as seven points twice in the first half, but the Gators went on a 17-9 run over the final 10 minutes to take a 28-27 lead into the locker room at halftime.
In the second half, Allegheny came out firing and pulled out to a 54-42 lead at the 8:09 mark before the Tigers made a late charge to pull within three points on four occasions in the final two minutes. For the game, the Tigers were sure on just 37 percent of their attempts from the field, including a 9-of-27 performance from beyond the three-point arc, and managed just 4-of-9 from the free throw line.
Walker had his biggest game in months with 22 points, including four 3-pointers and a 9-for-12 performance from the field. Harris had his third double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds, sophomore guard Danny Brywczynski (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont) chipped in with 10 points and freshman center Daniel Russ (Louisville, Ky./Trinity) came off the bench to grab 10 rebounds.
The Tigers don't have time to feel sorry for themselves, however. Next up is a home date on Wednesday against Ohio Wesleyan, one of the other preseason conference favorites, and a road game on Saturday against Hiram, which upset the Bishops last week.
Next: 2/5 vs. O. Wesleyan, 7:30 p.m.
2/8 at Hiram, 6 p.m.
January 21, 2003 (11-3, 6-0 NCAC)
Coach: Bill Brown (ninth season)
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| B.J. Harris |
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| Andy Bucheit |
The 2002-03 edition of the Wittenberg Tigers is much different than those of past years. Some faces and names remain the same, but many new contributors are seeing action during games and helping the Tigers to the top of the heap - the same place those previous editions have found themselves.
Just past the midway point of the season, the Tigers, ranked No. 23 in the just released d3hoops.com national poll, are in prime position for another quality stretch run. Standing with an 11-3 overall record and a mark of 6-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference, Wittenberg is perched atop the conference standings with archrival Wooster. The perennial powerhouses are just one game ahead of Ohio Wesleyan and Wabash in what appears to be developing into an outstanding four-team race for the title that the Tigers have claimed outright each of the last two years.
Since the last report in mid-December, Wittenberg lost to Ohio Athletic Conference power Ohio Northern on the Polar Bears' home court 82-62, but have reeled off six consecutive victories, including the last five in conference play, since then. The last non-conference victory came on Dec. 30 at Case Western Reserve, a 72-57 decision made possible by a career-high 24 points from sophomore forward Andy Bucheit (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle).
The five NCAC wins have all been by at least nine points, including a crucial road win over Ohio Wesleyan last Wednesday. On Jan. 4, the Tigers trounced Oberlin at home by a final of 101-43. That game was tied 11-11 before Wittenberg went on a stunning 42-point run that stretched nearly 10 minutes on the clock. On Jan. 8, the victim was Kenyon by a final of 81-66 as senior forward/center B.J. Harris (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins) poured 20 points. On Jan. 11, Hiram was defeated at the HPER Center by a final of 93-75 as senior forward Kevin Longley (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) tallied a season-high 17 points.
Last week was a big one for the Tigers as they claimed a pair of road victories to set up this week's games against contenders Wabash at home and Wooster on the road. On Wednesday, Wittenberg handed Ohio Wesleyan its only NCAC loss to date, a 73-64 setback made possible by Harris' first double-double of the 2002-03 season and 53 percent shooting as a team from the field.
Then on Saturday, the Tigers' inside power paid dividends once again as Denison was felled 70-48. Wittenberg broke open a close game in the first half by riding the hot hand of Longley and freshman center Daniel Russ (Louisville, Ky./Trinity), who each finished with 15 points.
Next up is the date with Wabash, which will be broadcast by Time Warner Cable at 11 p.m. Wednesday and 10 p.m. on Saturday in the Dayton/Springfield area. Subscribers are encouraged to check their local listings for the channel in their area. Then on Saturday, the Tigers travel to Wooster for their annual showdown with the Fighting Scots, who check in at No. 9 in the nation in the latest poll.
Next: 1/22 vs. Wabash, 8 p.m.
1/25 at Wooster, 7:30 p.m.
January 8, 2003 (12-4, 7-1 NCAC)
Coach: Bill Brown (ninth season)
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| B.J. Harris |
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| Kevin Longley |
The Tiger men's basketball team couldn't quite keep pace with the women, dropping the first game of the 2002-03 NCAC season at nationally ranked Wooster on Saturday. Despite the loss, Wittenberg is just a game back in the standings heading into the second half of the round robin competition.
Heading into Wednesday's game against conference challenger Wabash, the Tigers were banged up with injuries and limping due to illness, and for nearly eight minutes of the first half they played like it. But showing the resilience one would expect from a two-time defending NCAC regular season champion, the Tigers scratched and clawed their way to a critical 62-47 victory.
The game was played as if the baskets had lids on them. The Tigers didn't score their first point until the 12:42 mark of the first half and didn't manage their first field goal until the 12:27 mark, after nine straight misfires. But Wabash managed little in the way of offensive production either and held a meager 5-0 lead when Wittenberg finally broke the scoring ice.
The Tigers took their first lead of the game, 10-9, at the 8:12 mark of the first half on a short jumper by senior forward Kevin Longley (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) and never trailed again. The lead stretched out to 27-15 by halftime, thanks in part to a 19-6 burst to close things out in the final six minutes.
The Tigers held Wabash to 31 percent shooting from the field and owned a 44-26 rebounding advantage, including a career-high tying 15 from B.J. Harris (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins). Sixteen of Wittenberg's rebounds came on the offensive end, including four by junior forward Peter Walker (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier).
Sophomore guard Kenny Molz (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) led Wittenberg with 13 points off the bench, while Longley finished with 12 points and freshman forward Kenny Brady (Reading, Ohio/Reading) added 10 points off the bench.
Then on Saturday, the Tigers traveled to Wooster for a renewal of the most storied rivalries in all of college sports. Wittenberg played a near perfect first half, and even after struggling for nearly 15 minutes of the second half, was within striking distance at 62-58. But the ninth-ranked Scots ended the game on a 19-6 run to take an 81-64 victory.
Wittenberg, which shot just 32 percent from the field in the second half, including 1-for-9 from three-point range, was led by Longley, who had his best all-around game of the season with a team-high 17 points and five rebounds. Harris added 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.
Next up for the Tigers is a tough game against Earlham and its up-tempo three-point shooting act at home on Wednesday night. Then they take to the road again next weekend for a contest at Allegheny.
Next: 1/29 vs. Earlham, 7:30 p.m.
2/1 at Allegheny, 3 p.m.
December 17, 2002
Coach: Bill Brown (ninth season)
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| Kevin Longley |
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| Andy Bucheit |
The Wittenberg men's basketball team may be hitting its stride. In the last two weeks, the Tigers opened defense of their back-to-back North Coast Athletic Conference regular season championships with a hard-fought 70-66 victory over Allegheny and then defeated defending national champion Otterbein, 79-71.
On Dec. 7, the Tigers showed a lot of toughness in claiming the four-point win over Allegheny at the HPER Center. Wittenberg got out to a big lead early, but the Tigers made just 6-of-13 free throws in the second half and couldn't seem to put away the pesky Gators, who hit 6-of-9 three-point field goals in the final 20 minutes. The lead was 35-30 at halftime and Allegheny closed to within one point on three occasions but could never take the lead. The Tigers finally closed the game out with two free throws with just 0.4 seconds remaining by sophomore Kenny Molz (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont).
The Tigers were paced by a game-high 15 points from freshman center Daniel Russ (Louisville, Ky./Trinity) and 14 points from sophomore guard Andy Bucheit (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) off the bench. Senior center B.J. Harris (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins) added seven points and seven rebounds, including a key basket in the lane in the final minute.
In the eight-point victory over Otterbein, the Tigers were led by their senior frontcourt duo of Harris and forward Kevin Longley (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler). Harris had by far his best game of the season, hitting for 20 points and 14 rebounds. He was joined in double figures on the offensive end by sophomore Andy Bucheit (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle), who added 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field, including 4-of-4 from three-point range, and Longley, who continues to work his way back from injuries and added a season-high 14 points.
The Tigers took the lead at the 13-minute mark of the first half on a Bucheit three-pointer and never trailed again, opening up a 13-point margin just before halftime and never allowing the Cardinals to regain the lead in the second 20 minutes. Wittenberg controlled the boards, outrebounding the Cardinals, 44-32.
The Tigers return to the court on Monday, Dec. 23 at Ohio Northern, one of the Ohio Athletic Conference favorites and a 2001 national semifinalist.
Next: 12/23 at O. Northern, 7:30 p.m.
December 3,2002
Coach: Bill Brown (ninth season)
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| Kenny Brady |
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| Peter Walker |
The Tiger men's basketball team rolled to the championship of the Coca-Cola/Wal-Mart Classic at Franklin College last weekend, defeating a pair of 2002 NCAA Division III Tournament teams in St. Norbert and Franklin.
Against St. Norbert in the semifinals, the Tigers trailed just once, 3-2, before going on a 17-0 run and cruising to a 74-58 victory. Freshman forward Kenny Brady (Reading, Ohio/Reading) keyed the run with two straight lay-ups and eight points overall. Junior forward Peter Walker (Lousville, Ky./St. Xavier) also played an important role, adding seven points, including the three-pointer at the 13:05 mark that capped the run. The Tigers expanded the lead to as much as 19 before going into the locker room with a 43-32 lead.
St. Norbert got the lead under 10 just once in the second 20 minutes, but Wittenberg controlled the action. The Tigers shot 49 percent from the field, including 8-of-18 from the three-point range, and they dominated the boards, winning that battle 43-31. Walker led Wittenberg with 16 points and Brady added 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Wittenberg claimed the tourney title by defeating the host team on Saturday 69-59. Wittenberg never trailed after scoring the first five points, but the game was close. After opening up a lead of as much as 19 points in the first half, Wittenberg had to scratch out the win after Franklin tied things at 50-50 with 11:41 left in the game. From that point, the Tigers went on a 19-9 run, keyed by eight points by Walker on two three-pointers and two free throws, and two baskets by senior forward Kevin Longley (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler), who was playing in his first game of the season due to a foot injury.
The Tigers won the battle of the boards 36-31 and shot 51 percent from the field (28 of 55), including 8-of-16 from three-point range. Walker led all scorers with 20 points and junior guard Rod Emmons (South Bend, Ind./John Adams) chipped in with 16 after draining four three-pointers.
The Tigers' senior forward tandem of B.J. Harris (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins) and Longley added 20 points (10 apiece). Harris and sophomore guard Danny Brywczinski (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont) shared rebounding honors with seven each. Walker was named Tournament Most Valuable Player for his outstanding efforts in the two games.
Next: 12/3 vs. Cedarville, 7:30 p.m.
November 26, 2002
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| Andy Bucheit |
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| Peter Walker |
The Tiger men's basketball team got off to a mixed start last weekend in the season-opening Kiwanis-Wittenberg Tip-Off Classic at the HPER Center, defeating Alma in the first round by a score of 99-58 but falling to Ohio Dominican in the championship game on Saturday by a final of 80-75. It was just the third time in 20 years that Wittenberg has lost a game in the annual tournament.
On Friday, the Tigers got out of the gates strong and buried a young and inexperienced Alma squad. Wittenberg set a record for three-point field goals in a game with 18, one short of the school mark but seven better than the tournament mark. Leading the charge was junior guard Rod Emmons (South Bend, Ind./John Adams) and junior forward Peter Walker (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier), both with four treys. Sophomore guard Danny Brywczinski (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont) added three on just three attempts. Walker was the team's leading scorer with 17 points, with Brywczinski adding 15, freshman forward Kenny Brady (Reading, Ohio/Reading) chipping in with 13 and Emmons finishing with 12.
In the championship game, Wittenberg was battling from behind the entire night and just couldn't pull ahead. Ohio Dominican had a huge advantage from the free throw line in the game, and the Panthers were tremendously accurate when they had opportunities. Senior forward B.J. Harris (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins) had 21 points to lead the Tigers, but it wasn't enough.
Walker and sophomore guard Andy Bucheit (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle), who had two solid games off the bench, were both chosen for the all-tournament team. The Tigers head right back into tournament play this weekend as they travel to Franklin, Ind. for a tournament at Franklin College. All four teams involved in the competition made appearances in the NCAA Division III tournament a year ago.
Next: 11/29 vs. St. Norbert, 6 p.m.
Franklin College Tournament
November 19, 2002
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| B.J. Harris |
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| Kevin Longley |
Wittenberg, home to the winningest men's basketball program in NCAA Division III history, has plenty of question marks on the hardwood in 2002-03, but a deep roster of talented returning players and another outstanding recruiting class promise to provide plenty of positive answers.
Coming off back-to-back North Coast Athletic Conference regular season championships and appearances in the NCAA Division III Tournament, Wittenberg returns two starters and six letterwinners. The Tigers have posted a combined record of 50-10 in the last two seasons, including a sparkling 30-2 mark in NCAC regular season action.
The 2002-03 season could provide even more highlights. Wittenberg's two returning starters are first-team All-NCAC choice B.J. Harris (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins), a 6-7 post player with a soft touch, and two-time second-team All-NCAC selection Kevin Longley (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler), also a 6-7 post player whose rebounding prowess and power moves offer the perfect compliment. Harris led the Tigers in scoring (12.6 points per game) and rebounding (9.2 boards per outing), while Longley was second in both categories at 9.7 and 8.8 respectively.
Harris and Longley will be joined by a supporting cast that both talented and experienced. Sophomore point guard Danny Brywczynski (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont) takes over the starting role after coming off the bench in every game last year and finishing with an outstanding assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.4. Junior guard Rod Emmons (South Bend, Ind./John Adams) was the team's top three-point shooter in 2001-02 with 60 triples and a shooting percentage of .422 from beyond the arc. Sophomore wing Andy Bucheit (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) played in all 30 games a year ago and contributed 6.8 points per game, and junior wing Peter Walker (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) was a force off the bench a year ago and ranked fourth on the team in scoring and third in rebounding.
Wittenberg heads into the 2002-03 season with a target on its back and a challenging schedule to provide plenty of opportunities for the marksmen. Among the non-conference foes are perennial national title contender Ohio Northern, defending national champion Otterbein, both on the road, and possible match-ups against NAIA power Ohio Dominican in the Kiwanis-Wittenberg Tip-Off Classic and against 2002 national tournament participant Franklin at that team's tournament.
Next: 11/22-23 Kiwanis-Wittenberg
Tip-Off Classic
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