Rustad

Walker

The Tigers had an up-and-down week, but by the end of it the only thing that mattered was that they remained on top of the North Coast Athletic Conference with a perfect 8-0 record. Wittenberg defeated Ohio Wesleyan at home last Wednesday, rallying from a five-point halftime deficit to take a 13-point lead with just over two minutes remaining and then hung on down the stretch to post a 70-68 win. On Saturday, the Tigers defeated another visiting NCAC foe, cruising past Denison 100-69.

The wins kept the 17th-ranked Tigers on pace for a huge showdown this Saturday against Wooster, which is also unbeaten in conference action. Wittenberg will host the Scots, who won the NCAC tournament last year after the Tigers had won the regular season crown, on Saturday.

Against OWU, the Tigers fell behind 34-29 at halftime. But sophomore guard Mark Borland (Kettering, Ohio/Alter) scored the first four points of the second half and sparked the struggling Tiger offense to take the lead just two minutes into the final stanza. He was the catalyst as Wittenberg raced out to a 66-53 lead with 2:39 remaining in the game. But then OWU put on an aggressive full-court press and closed the margin to just two with 30 seconds left. Tiger forward Kevin Longley (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) saved the day, however, stealing the ball with three seconds left as the Bishops set up for a final shot.

For the game, Borland paced the Tiger offense with 14 points, four rebounds, five assists and four steals. He was joined in double figures by senior guard Greg Rustad (Lakewood, Ohio/Lakewood) with 11 and sophomore forward Peter Walker (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) with 10. Junior forward/center B.J. Harris (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins) finished with eight points and 10 rebounds.

Against Denison, Wittenberg came out strong and buried the Big Red, 100-69. The win was Wittenberg's 23rd consecutive in regular season NCAC action, dating back to Dec. 6, 2000 at Ohio Wesleyan. The record is 35 straight by Wooster from 1999-2001.

Wittenberg was in control from the outset, breaking a 2-2 tie in the opening minute by scoring 28 straight points. From that point, the Tigers had it on cruise control in defeating Denison for the 56th time in the last 57 games. The Big Red haven't won in Springfield since 1954.

The Tigers shot a sizzling 71.4 percent in the first half, including 8-for-10 from three-point range. For the game, Wittenberg shot 61.8 percent from the field, 62.5 percent from three-point range and 78.6 percent from the free throw line.
Leading the charge for Wittenberg was B.J. Harris, who hit for 15 points and five rebounds. Also in double figures were Greg Rustad with 13 points, sophomore guard Rod Emmons (South Bend, Ind./John Adams) with 12 points, sophomore forward Van Richardson (Lebanon, Ohio/Lebanon) with a career-high 12 points and Peter Walker with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Next: 1/23 @ Wabash, 7:30 p.m.
          1/26 vs. Wooster, 7:30 p.m.

Keller

Bruggeman

To win a championship, the saying goes that a team must hold serve at home and then steal a few on the road. Last week, the Tigers grabbed a pair of important road wins to keep pace in the NCAC regular season race. The Tigers will play host to first-place Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday in a crucial showdown at the HPER Center.

For the game, Wittenberg got 16 points each from Keller and Rolf. Keller added a career-high 13 rebounds for her second double-double in three games. Also finishing in double figures scoring for the Tigers were freshman guard Emilie Schmid (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson) with 11 points and junior forward Meghan Bruggeman (Middletown, Ohio/Bishop Fenwick) with 10 points, both off the bench.

Then on Saturday, the Tigers headed into a well-deserved week off with a third consecutive NCAC win, this time claiming a 78-52 decision over host Wooster. The Tigers outscored the Lady Scots 29-11 in the final 11 minutes of the game after Wooster had narrowed a 20-point deficit to eight. Wittenberg led every minute of the game after scoring a layup just seven seconds into the first half and bursting out to a 10-2 lead.

Wittenberg got terrific offensive performances from a quartet of juniors. Keller had her fourth straight game in double figures with 14 points, junior guard Stephanie Campbell (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) had an outstanding all-around game with 14 points, nine rebounds, three assists and five steals, Rolf hit for 13 points, and Bruggeman had a hot hand off the bench, shooting 5-for-5 and finishing with 11 points.

For her consistent play last week, Tiffany Keller was named the NCAC Player of the Week. The NCAC volleyball Player of the Year, Keller is no stranger to conference recognition. She led the Tigers with 30 points and 17 rebounds for the week.

A story to watch is Head Coach Pam Smith's pursuit of 300 career wins. Far and away the Tigers' winningest coach of all-time, Smith won No. 292 against Wooster. Wittenberg has eight more regular season games and at least one NCAC tournament game remaining.
Next:
1/26 vs. Ohio Wesleyan, 2 p.m.

Rader

Juergens

The Wittenberg swimming and diving teams plunged into the second half of their seasons last weekend, taking on Division I rival Wright State on Friday at home and hitting the road to face perennial national title contender Denison on Saturday. The results were two defeats - by scores of 77-134 (men) and 79-161 (women) against Wright State and 75-127 (men) and 93-132 (women) against Denison - but the very important opportunities to measure up against quality competition.

Also turning in strong performances over the weekend were sophomore Courtney Galliger (Eagan, Minn./Eagan), who won the 100 backstroke against Wright State, freshman Jennifer Kay (Strongsville, Ohio/Rocky River Magnificat) with a personal best in 1000 free, and senior Elizabeth Bradley (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) with a lifetime best in the same event.
Next:
1/26 vs. Transylvania & Emory @ U. of Kentucky, 1 p.m.

The indoor portion of the track and field season got underway on Friday at Ohio Northern. The Tiger men finished sixth out of 10 teams in the field, while the women were fourth out of nine.

On the men's side, the top finisher was sophomore Skip Ivery (Columbus, Ohio/Groveport-Madison), who turned in a first-place finish in the 55-meter hurdles. He is the defending NCAC indoor 55 hurdles champion. In addition, junior Joel Drake (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) had a personal-best in the shot put to place third.

For the women, leading the charge was sophomore Jackie Spray (Newark, Ohio/Newark), who was first in the pole vault. In addition, sophomore Kristen Mumper (Cincinnati, Ohio/Purcell Marian) turned in a strong performance in the triple jump as she finished second.
Next: @ Findlay, TBA
NCAC Relays @ Denison, 2 p.m.

Upcoming Tiger
        Sports Action:

        January
        23 Men's Basketball
                @ Wabash                              7:30 p.m.
        25 Track & Field
                @ Findlay                               TBA
        26 Swimming & Diving
                vs. Transylvania & Emory
                @ U. of Kentucky                   1 p.m.
             Track & Field
                NCAC Relays @ Denison       2 p.m.
             Women's Basketball
                vs. Ohio Wesleyan                  2 p.m.
             Men's Basketball
                vs. Wooster                            7:30 p.m.