The Wittenberg women's basketball team saw its 2005-06 season come to a disappointing conclusion last week. After winning the North Coast Athletic Conference regular season championship with a sparkling 14-2 record, the Tigers were upended in the NCAC Tournament semifinals last Friday on their home court.

The Tigers rounded out their season with a 19-8 overall record with a 52-37 loss to Kenyon. Wittenberg, with just one senior in the playing rotation for the majority of the 2005-06 season, struggled mightily at the offensive end against the Ladies, who won last year's NCAC regular season title and were the preseason conference favorite this year.

After a slow start for both teams, there was just one lead change at the 8:16 mark of the first half, which gave the Ladies a 17-16 advantage. In the second half, Wittenberg crawled back to a 33-33 tie on a three-pointer by junior wing Megan Miller (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) at the 9:47 mark. But Kenyon scored the next four points and fended off every Wittenberg advance from that point. Over the game's excrutiating final eight minutes, the Tigers did not score a point as the Ladies extended the lead from 40-37 to the final of 52-37.

Wittenberg shot just 28 percent from the field, including 3-of-16 from three-point range. The Tigers were paced offensively by sophomore post Katie Gregorevich (Northfield, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) and junior wing Rachel Clark-Haggy (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) with six points apiece, while Gregorevich was the high rebounder for either side with eight.

The Tigers put 16 players into the game and 15 of them scored, led by Gregorevich, who was named to the NCAC All-Tournament team, with 17 points and seven rebounds in a very productive 14 minutes. Senior guard Brittany Landreth (Mantua, Ohio/Valparaiso (Ind.)) pulled down a career-high six rebounds in the game and Miller added a career-best five assists as part of a tremendously balanced stats sheet.

Details about the Tigers’ season can be found on the team's schedule/results page and season statistics page.

Next: Season Complete

The Wittenberg women's basketball team needed some time in the 2005-06 season to find the right player combinations. That has worked out quite well, thank you, and the result is a North Coast Athletic Conference regular season championship.

The Tigers claimed at least a share of that title last week with a pair of impressive 77-58 victories - one at home against Earlham and one on the road against rival Ohio Wesleyan. Now with 12 wins in its last 13 games, Wittenberg stands at 17-6 overall and 13-1 in the NCAC, two games clear of second-place Allegheny.

The Tigers are already guaranteed home court advantage for the NCAC Tournament, however, by virtue of their two wins this season against Allegheny. It is Wittenberg's fourth NCAC regular season title in the last five years and the Tigers' conference-best 11th overall.

In last week's victories, the Tigers continued to display an improved offensive attack with an emphasis on post play. Junior wing Rachel Clark-Haggy (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) had the hot hand, following up on her first career double-double in a 57-54 victory at Allegheny on Feb. 4 with a combined 36 points and 15 rebounds. Her week started with a career-high 20 points against Earlham.

In recognition of her efforts, Clark-Haggy earned the first NCAC Player of the Week award of her collegiate career.

Hittle, a 2005 first-team All-NCAC honoree, also recently was named second-team CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV in recognition of her outstanding performance both on the court and in the classroom.

Wittenberg rounds out the regular season with a road game Wednesday at 2005 NCAC champion Kenyon and a home game Saturday against Wooster. The NCAC Tournament opens with quarterfinal games hosted by higher seeded teams on Tuesday, Feb. 21. Wittenberg has hosted a quarterfinal game every year thanks to a string of 17 straight top-three regular season finishes.

Details about the Tigers’ season can be found on the team's schedule/results page and season statistics page.

Next: 2/15 @ Kenyon
2/18 vs. Wooster

The Wittenberg women's basketball team is finding a way to get things done, which may bode well for a future run at the North Coast Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles. The Tigers have won six of their last seven games, including a pair of three-point victories at home in the last week, to improve to 11-6 overall and 7-1 in the NCAC.

Wittenberg defeated Ohio Wesleyan 57-54 at the HPER Center on Saturday, rallying from a 10-point deficit by outscoring the Battling Bishops 13-2 in the final 8:39 of the game. The Tigers got six straight points from junior post Kathy Hittle (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) to close the gap to take a one-point lead and then two free throws by junior wing Rachel Clark-Haggy (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) were clutch for the Tigers with 1:17 remaining. OWU missed two three-pointers in the final 10 seconds as the Tigers were able to seal the win.

Against Thomas More, the shoe was almost on the other foot. The Tigers held what appeared to be a comfortable 11-point advantage with 6:39 remaining in the game after senior guard Brittany Landreth (Mantua, Ohio/Valparaiso (Ind.)) hit a jumper. Held scoreless for the next 6:36, the Tigers saw their lead shrivel to one point before Landreth rescued them.

Thomas More rebounded a Wittenberg miss, but the outlet pass never was made as Landreth made the steal and was subsequently fouled with just three seconds left. She drilled both free throws, forcing the Saints into a desperate three-point attempt at the buzzer.

Hittle, who leads the Tigers in scoring and rebounding on the season, had 29 points in the two games combined. She has reached double figures in 12 of the team's games this season, and she has six double-doubles, easily the most among Tiger players.

Wittenberg hits the road for a game against Oberlin on Saturday before a crucial week of games that starts with a home game against Kenyon, the preseason NCAC favorite, on Jan. 31. Leading the NCAC by a slim one-game margin, the Tigers follow that game with an always draining road trip to Hiram and Allegheny on Feb. 3 and 4.

Details about the Tigers’ season can be found on the team's schedule/results page and season statistics page.

Next: 1/28 @ Oberlin

The Wittenberg women's basketball team stumbled in its most recent game, but the Tigers remain in control of their own destiny, one game ahead of their nearest pursuer in the North Coast Athletic Conference. The Tigers stand 9-6 overall and 6-1 in the NCAC heading into the home stretch of the 2005-06 season.

The Tigers are hoping to capture their fourth regular season NCAC title in the last five years, and in the process gain the No. 1 seed in the NCAC Tournament at the end of February. Last year's second-place finish in the NCAC regular season standings broke a three-year run atop the league, and the Tigers' loss in the tourney semifinals to eventual champion Denison halted a two-year run in the national tournament for Wittenberg.

An overtime win over Denison on Jan. 3 was the first of four straight NCAC wins to start the new year, but the Big Red, who defeated Wittenberg three times in 2004-05, got back in the conference race with a 63-44 win over the Tigers on Wednesday. The Tigers maintain a one-game lead over preseason favorite Kenyon heading into a key on Saturday against Ohio Wesleyan at home in the HPER Center.

The Tigers have been getting consistent production from a trio of post players - junior Kathy Hittle (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) and sophomores Ali Rohlfs (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) and Katie Gregorevich (Northfield, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit). A year after earning first-team all-conference honors, Hittle has been everything to this year's team, leading in scoring (12.4 points per game), rebounds (9.1 per game), blocked shots (16) and steals (26). She had her best game in a Jan. 11 win over Earlham in which she led all players with a career-high 24 points to go along with 12 rebounds.

Rohlfs, who had a double-double in the loss to Denison, is averaging 8.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest in 2005-06. She is second on the team with 36 assists, against 33 turnovers as she regularly pops out to the top of the key on offense. Gregorevich has come off the bench in 14 of the first 15 games, and she is contributing 6.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per outing. Her big game came against Hiram on Jan. 7 when she had a 12-point, 15-rebound performance.

Details about the Tigers’ season can be found on the team's schedule/results page and season statistics page.

Next: 1/21 vs. Ohio Wesleyan

The Wittenberg women's basketball team played a killer non-conference schedule during the first six months of the season, compiling a 3-5 record. All five losses are to teams that have been ranked in the top 25 nationally at some point this season, including three teams that remain in the polls today.

The Tigers may well be reaping the benefits of such difficult scheduling. Since dropping a 55-50 decision in the championship game of the Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Classic on Dec. 30, Wittenberg has reeled off three straight North Coast Athletic Conference victories to take the early lead in the 2005-06 regular season title chase.

Overall, Wittenberg stands at 8-5, but the Tigers have a perfect 5-0 record in the NCAC, including a key 82-80 overtime win on Tuesday against Denison. The Big Red defeated Wittenberg three times a year ago en route to the NCAC Tournament title and a berth in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.

In that game, sophomore post Ali Rohlfs (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) put together a 10-point, 10-rebound performance for her first double-double of the season. To top it off, Rohlfs drained a short jumper with just three seconds left in the overtime period to give the Tigers the hard-fought victory.

Rohlfs finished her week with 21 points, 20 rebounds, nine assists and four steals in the three wins last week, including a 63-50 decision against visiting Allegheny on Friday and a 74-51 victory over Hiram at home on Saturday. She was recognized by the NCAC with the first Player of the Week honors of her career on Jan. 8.

A trio of post players have asserted themselves in recent weeks. Junior Kathy Hittle (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) leads the Tigers in scoring and rebounding with averages of 11.8 and 8.9 per game, while Rohlfs checks in third on the team in scoring at 8.0 and second in rebounding at 6.2. Sophomore Katie Gregorevich (Northfield, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) has picked up her game of late, culminating in her first double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds against Hiram. She checks in with averages of 5.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per outing.

Also of note, two wing players are making key contributions. Junior Megan Miller (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) is second on the team in scoring and tops in three-pointers with 33. With her long range shot a little off lately (except for a 4-for-6 performance against Denison), Miller, who is 20-of-23 from the free throw line, has displayed patience in finding other ways to score. Against Allegheny, all nine of her points came in the second half as the Tigers slowly pulled away for the double-digit victory.

In addition, freshman Rachel Dixon (West Liberty, Ohio/Salem) has been an energizer off the bench for the Tigers. Against Denison, she scored a career-high 15 points, including six straight in overtime after Wittenberg had fallen behind by one point.

Details about the Tigers’ season can be found on the team's schedule/results page and season statistics page.

Next: 1/11 @ Earlham

The Wittenberg women’s basketball team is 0-for-3 against nationally ranked teams so far in the 2005-06 season after Saturday’s 85-70 loss at DePauw. The road doesn’t get much easier, however, although the Tigers do have a 12-day break to prepare for a strong field in the Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Classic on Dec. 29-30.

If the prospect of playing Manchester, which is 8-1 in the early going, and defending Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association champion Albion in a two-day span weren’t daunting enough, the Tigers then head into North Coast Athletic Conference action right after the calendar flips to 2006. The NCAC appears to be very strong this year, led by nationally ranked defending regular season champion Kenyon and defending conference tournament titlist Denison, which beat Wittenberg three times a year ago and is off to an 8-2 start to this season.

Wittenberg checks in with a 4-4 overall record, although the Tigers have a 2-0 mark in the early going of the NCAC schedule. The Tigers were one of the preseason favorites after tying for second place a year ago. That broke a string of three straight NCAC regular season titles.

In the loss at DePauw, the Tigers picked up a career-high 18 points from sophomore post Ali Rohlfs (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame), to go along with seven rebounds. Rohlfs is third on the team in scoring with 7.9 points per game and second in reboundings at 5.1 boards per outing.

Junior wing Megan Miller (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) had a solid game as well, but Wittenberg fell behind by 13 by halftime and never managed to get the lead under eight points in the final 20 minutes. Miller, who leads the NCAC with a three-point percentage of 51.2, hit four three-pointers and finished with 14 points.

Miller leads Wittenberg with 11.5 points per game, percentage points better than junior post Kathy Hittle (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville), who has put together four double-doubles this season and checks in with 11.3 points and a team-best 9.9 rebounds per outing.

Details about the Tigers’ season can be found on the team's schedule/results page and season statistics page.

The Wittenberg women's basketball team broke a three-game losing streak on Saturday with an 83-37 thrasing of winless Oberlin.

The win - in Wittenberg's North Coast Athletic Conference and home opener - evened the Tigers' overall record at 3-3 overall. It also served notice to the rest of the conference that the extraordinarily deep Tigers, who gave 17 players at least eight minutes of action in the game, will be a force to be reckoned with again in the conference title chase.

Wittenberg jumped out to a 16-2 lead in the opening minutes of the game and never looked back, quickly burying memories of a disappointing performance in an 18-point loss at perennial Ohio Athletic Conference powerhouse Wilmington on Dec. 1. By game's end, junior wing Megan Miller (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) had drilled five three-pointers to finish with a game-high 15 points and freshman post Lauren Rivers (Powell, Ohio/Worthington Christian) added a career-high 12 points in just 10 minutes off the bench. Rivers hit all of her five shots from the field and both free throws.

Miller ranks second on the team with 11.7 points per game, but more importantly she is hitting nearly 55 percent of her three-point shots, a key statistic for a young team in search of an offensive identity. Combined with the outstanding all-around play of junior post Kathy Hittle (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville), who leads the Tigers with 12.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per outing, Miller's three-point shooting could help keep opposing defenses off balance.

Also of note has been the steady play of senior guard Brittany Landreth (Mantua, Ohio/Valparaiso (Ind.)). She is shooting above 50 percent for the first time in her career, and she leads the Tigers with 14 assists (against just nine turnovers) and 15 steals.

The Tigers are off until Saturday, when they will head to Wooster to play the Scots in a key early-season game. With defending regular season champion Kenyon and defending conference tournament titlist Denison off to a combined 13-1 start this season, the Tigers must keep pace early in preparation for what appears to be a very competitive conference title chase in 2005-06.

Details about the Tigers’ season can be found on the team's schedule/results page and season statistics page.

The Wittenberg women's basketball team opens a promising 2005-06 season with a trip to Virginia Wesleyan for a four-team invitational tournament this weekend. The Tigers are slated to square off against the University of the Ozarks in a Friday afternoon game, with the winners playing in a Saturday championship game and the losers taking the court for a Saturday consolation game.

The Tigers have high expectations after finishing the 2004-05 season with a 17-10 overall record and tied for second place in the North Coast Athletic Conference, which broke a three-year run atop the standings. Wittenberg returns 11 letterwinners, including seven players who started at least one game a year ago, in hopes of heading back to the top of the NCAC heap in 2005-06. The Tigers return seven of the eight players to average five points or more last year, led by junior post Kathy Hittle (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville), a first-team All-NCAC honoree in 2005 who has become a fixture in the paint after an up-and-down freshman campaign. She topped the team in points and rebounds a year ago with averages of 9.2 and 7.3 respectively. She also set a school record with five blocks in a key late-season win over rival Ohio Wesleyan.

The Tigers figure to be strong in the post again in 2005-06, as Hittle will be joined down low by sophomores Ali Rohlfs (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) and Katie Gregorevich (Northfield, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit). Rohlfs started 15 games and averaged 7.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per outing, while Gregorevich started five times and averaged 7.1 points and 4.3 boards per contest. Both went through hot and cold streaks through the season, as Rohlfs had eight games in double figures for points and Gregorevich had seven, including a 22-point effort against eventual NCAC regular season champion Kenyon.

The perimeter positions are perhaps of most concern to Head Coach Pam Smith entering her 20th season leading the Tigers. The Tigers lost second-team all-conference guard Emilie Schmid, the team's second-leading scorer and rebounder in 2004-05, and two-year starting guard Alison Nahrup to graduation, while senior guard Carrie Jones (Greenville, Ohio/Greenville) is still recovering from a knee injury suffered at the end of the 2004-05 season.

The only returning starter in the backcourt is senior Brittany Landreth (Mantua, Ohio/Valparaiso (Ind.)), who averaged three points and two assists per game while finishing with an equal number of assists and turnovers in her first year of steady action at the point. Landreth, who led the Tigers and ranked among the conference leaders with 59 steals, split time evenly with junior Andrea Hackett (Springfield, Ohio/Catholic Central), who hit for 2.8 points per game and finished with 37 assists against 40 turnovers on the campaign.

Junior wing Megan Miller (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) is a long-range shooting threat who averaged 7.5 points per game a year ago, junior wing Rachel Clark-Haggy (Springfield, Ohio/Southeastern) is a versatile performer who made seven starts and averaged 3.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest in 2004-05, and sophomore wing Ellie Stonecash (Springboro, Ohio/Middletown Fenwick) came off the bench to provide 5.5 points per game in her first collegiate campaign.

Details about the Tigers’ season can be found on the team's schedule/results page.