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Y! MyWebOHIO WESLEYAN 72, WITTENBERG 69
Bishops again edge Tigers
Ohio Wesleyan beats Wittenberg in Springfield for the first time since 1961-62 season.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
SPRINGFIELD — Wittenberg lost its margin for error along with the men's basketball game Wednesday night, Feb. 13. The Tigers can still win the North Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championship — or at least tie with Wooster — and they can still host the conference tournament.
They just can't lose any of their last three games. And to accomplish that, they can't play as they did in falling to Ohio Wesleyan 72-69 at Pam Evans Smith Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 13.
Gregg Hill (11) of Wittenberg is guarded by Kyle Holliday (23) of Ohio Wesleyan during a 72-69 loss for the Tigers on Wednesday, February 13, at the Pam Evans Smith Arena. Staff photo by Barbara J. Perenic"Ohio Wesleyan just played much better than us," Wittenberg coach Bill Brown said. "We did not play very well. If we could have somehow hung on and got out of there, I would still believe that Ohio Wesleyan probably deserved it more."
Wittenberg (15-7, 11-2 NCAC) trailed for most of the game, but led 65-64 when Yellow Springs graduate Dustin Rudegeair put the Battling Bishops ahead with a jump shot at the 1:31 mark. Rudegeair's shot with eight seconds left in the Jan. 23 game led OWU to a 70-67 win over the Tigers.
With the Tigers trailing 66-65, Wittenberg's Gregg Hill, who had his worst shooting night of the season (3-of-15), missed a 3-pointer. Wittenberg got the ball back when it went out of bounds, but Brandan Barabino, who shot 3-of-11, turned the ball over on the in-bounds pass.
Ohio Wesleyan's Kyle Miller turned that into a fast-break layup and a free throw to put the Battling Bishops up 69-65 with 1:04 left.
The Tigers played catch-up in the final minute and had a chance to tie the game at the end, but Hill missed a 3-pointer with two seconds left.
Wittenberg had won 36 straight home games against Ohio Wesleyan, a streak that dated back to the 1961-62 season.
"It's a big deal. This team, this year, we think we can win anywhere," Wesleyan coach Mike DeWitt said. "Ohio Wesleyan has never won in this building until today. We've won four in the last eight years, but they were all either at home or at Wooster. From a historical standpoint, it is nice for our program."
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0351 or djablonski@coxohio.com.
