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Y! MyWebWittenberg Basketball
Hot-shooting Witt outplays Gators for win
Sunday, February 10, 2008
SPRINGFIELD — Basketball teams playing at Pam Evans Smith Arena enter and leave the court by the same hallway. That fact did not help Allegheny on Saturday.
Celebrating a 37-33 halftime lead over Wittenberg, the Gators may have unintentionally woke up the Tigers.
Brandan Barabino (33) of Wittenberg flies to the hoop over Doug Price (3) of Allegheny during Saturday's game at the Pam Evans Smith Arena. Wittenberg won the game, its fifth straight, 78-66. Staff photo by Barbara J. Perenic"When they went down the hallway, they were yelling and hyped up," Wittenberg junior Gregg Hill said. "It got us really riled up. A little jaw-jabbing caused us to play with a little more intensity."
That motivation carried the Tigers to a 78-66 victory, their fifth in a row and 14th in the last 15 games.
Wittenberg has little time to celebrate what an impressive season this has become since the 1-5 start. The Tigers (15-6 overall) host Ohio Wesleyan, the last team to beat them, on Wednesday, and then they travel to Wooster on Saturday.
The No. 15 Scots (18-3 overall), who beat Wabash on Saturday, remain tied with Wittenberg atop the North Coast Athletic Conference at 11-1.
"I want to turn my thoughts to how great this team has responded this year," Wittenberg coach Bill Brown said, "but we're right there on the brink so we can't be satisfied. We just have to keep going one game at a time, so I will do that."
Saturday's game was typical of recent Tiger victories. They didn't play a great game, falling behind by 10 in the first half, but they rallied when it mattered to find a way to win.
Junior Kevin Murray scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half. With Wittenberg leading 68-64, Murray hit a jump shot from the side with 1:23 to go. Six made free throws and a minute later, the Tigers led by 12.
In the second half, Wittenberg shot 65 percent from the field and outrebounded the Gators (10-11, 5-7 NCAC) 16-6. Allegheny shot 57 percent from the field in the first half and 53 percent in the second.
"Both teams shot the ball really well," Brown said. "We'd like to be able to count on our defense a little bit, but it didn't improve at all in the second half. It's just that we were very efficient shooting the basketball today. Obviously, Kevin Murray gave us a huge lift in the second half. He really hit some very timely baskets for us."
C
ontact this reporter at (937) 328-0351 or djablonski@coxohio.com.
