Kenny Molz

The Wittenberg men's basketball team has taken several strong steps forward in recent weeks, improving to 10-2 overall thanks to a five-game win streak. Ranked 24th in the nation, the Tigers captured the Kiwanis-Wittenberg Holiday Classic with wins over NAIA scholarship programs Purdue Calumet and Taylor on Dec. 29-30 and then followed that up with road wins over Otterbein and Kenyon on Jan. 3 and 5 respectively.

The Tigers came out of the Christmas break with the best present possible - a first-place trophy in their home tournament. They started out with a convincing 77-47 victory over Purdue Calumet, thanks in part to 55 percent shooting from the field, including 11-of-22 from the three-point line. After streaking to a 17-3 lead to open the game, Wittenberg held a 33-15 halftime advantage and then poured it on in the second half. Topping the Tigers were junior post Dane Borchers (Russia, Ohio/Russia) and senior point guard Kenny Molz (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) with 14 points apiece. Senior wing Andy Bucheit (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) added 11 points. Borchers was tops with five rebounds and senior point guard Danny Brywczynski (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont) was solid with eight points, two steals and four assists with no turnovers.

The next night, the Tigers captured the tournament title for the 20th time in 23 tries as they defeated Taylor, 54-47. Taylor, ranked 17th in the Dec. 14 NAIA Division II national poll, became the fourth NAIA scholarship program to visit the HPER Center and lose to the host Tigers.

The Tigers scored the final nine points of the first half to turn a five-point deficit into a four-point halftime lead and then held on through the final 20 minutes. Wittenberg won the rebounding battle, 26-21, and shot 47 percent from the field, including 11-of-19 in the first half and 6-of-11 from three-point range in the game.

Wittenberg got a combined 30 points and 11 rebounds from the Borchers and junior post Daniel Russ (Louisville, Ky./Trinity). Borchers, the Tournament MVP, finished with 17 points and six boards, while Russ contributed 13 points and five caroms to earn a spot on the all-tournament team. Molz joined them on the all-tournament team after scoring eight points and three rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench in the finals.

Wittenberg capped the nonconference portion of the 2004-05 schedule with an important 65-53 road victory over Otterbein on Monday. That gave the Tigers a 3-0 record against in-region nonconference opponents - with all three wins coming against Ohio Athletic Conference powerhouse programs on their home floors.

Otterbein held its only lead of the entire gameless than three minutes into the game, but Wittenberg answered that with a six-point run. The game was tied on two other occasions, but the Tigers eased out to a four-point halftime advantage and clinched it with a clutch 13-5 game-ending run.

Russ led the Tigers with 13 points and Borchers added 11 points and 12 rebounds. Bucheit chipped in with 10 points and 10 rebounds, junior guard Phil Steffes (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) had one of his best games with eight points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field, and senior guard Brett Bowen (Arcadia, Ind./Hamilton Heights) added five points and two key second-half rebounds off the bench.

Rounding things out, the Tigers defeated Kenyon for the 80th time in 89 meetings, this time by a whopping 76-28 margin on Wednesday.

Wittenberg scored 14 of the game's first 16 points and never looked back, reaching what turned out to be the magical 28-point plateau at the 8:32 mark of the first half on a three-pointer by sophomore guard Billy Bowen (Arcadia, Ind./Hamilton Heights). At that point, the lead was 28-11 and it stretched to 40-14 by halftime and, thanks to a 6-0 game-ending run, to its final 48-point margin.

Russ led the way with 16 points and seven rebounds, Bowen finished with 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field (including three 3-pointers), and Steffes added eight points and eight rebounds.

Next: 1/8 vs. Oberlin, 3 p.m.

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Ali Rohlfs

The Wittenberg women's basketball team is in just about the same predicament as it was a year ago - just before the Tigers went on a 21-game win streak that carried them to North Coast Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships and a berth in the NCAA Division III Round of 16 for the first time in school history.

After starting the season 1-4, Wittenberg turned things around with four wins in five games, culminating in a championship in the Kiwanis-Wittenberg Holiday Classic. The Tigers dropped back below the .500 mark with a loss to sixth-ranked DePauw on Monday in the 2004-05 nonconference finale.

The Tigers spread the wealth on offense and took advantage of 35 Centre College turnovers in a 67-46 victory to open the Kiwanis-Wittenberg Holiday Classic on Dec. 29.

The points off turnovers specialty statistic really told the story. Centre committed a whopping 35 miscues, compared to 15 turnovers by the host team, leading to 27 more shots for Wittenberg and a 31-9 advantage on points off turnovers. In addition, Centre, which had just seven players see the court in the game, was outscored 46-12 in bench points. That's because Wittenberg put 15 players into the game and 12 of them scored, led by freshman post Katie Gregorevich (Northfield, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) with 12 points and sophomore post Kathy Hittle (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) with 10 points and eight rebounds, the latter tying her for game honors.

The next night, the Tigers fought off a strong challenge from Hanover to win 66-60 and capture the program's first Kiwanis-Wittenberg Holiday Classic title since 2001.

Wittenberg led almost the entire game, as a jumper by Gregorevich at the 10:58 mark of the first half actually gave the Tigers a lead they would never relinquish. Wittenberg held on in the waning seconds as freshman post Ali Rohlfs (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) hit a big lay-up with 21 seconds left and then Tournament MVP, senior guard Emilie Schmid (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson), blocked a late three-pointer to preserve the win.

Schmid finished with the first double-double of her career with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Rohlfs, who also made the all-tournament team, led all scorers with 15 points. Gregorevich added eight points and two assists in 17 minutes off the bench.

Rounding things out, the Tigers came up just short in an upset bid of sixth-ranked DePauw Monday in Springfield. Wittenberg had its chances in a 65-61 defeat.

The visiting Tigers jumped out to a 9-0 lead to open the game, but Wittenberg settled down and slowly worked that advantage until Schmid capped a 7-0 burst with a three-pointer at the 5:26 mark of the first half and gave the hosts their first lead at 20-19. Wittenberg led by as many as five points in the second half, but DePauw took the lead with about 13 minutes remaining and held on thanks to terrific foul shooting (18-of-20 in the second half).

Wittenberg won the rebounding battle 42-33, including 20 boards on the offensive end, as Hittle led with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Schmid added 11 points and five rebounds, sophomore guard Megan Miller (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) chipped in with nine points and junior guard Carrie Jones (Greenville, Ohio/Greenville) finished with four points, five rebounds and four assists.

Next: 1/7 at Hiram, 6 p.m.
1/8 at Allegheny, 4 p.m.