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No. 1

Feb. 12, 2005

Wooster 102, Wittenberg 95 (3 OTs)

Triple the Heatbreak

Wooster knocks off Wittenberg in three-overtime thriller

By DAVID JABLONSKI News-Sun Sports Writer

    Wittenberg punctuates every victory at the HPER Center by banging in unison on its lockers after the game. The Tigers are happy drummers more often than not at home, where they had won 30 straight North Coast Athletic Conference games before Saturday.

    On Saturday, however, the Tigers were silent after the game, drowned out by the joyous Wooster players celebrating down the hall.

    On their home court, in front of the first sellout crowd at the HPER Center in 20 years, in triple overtime, with the regular-season title and the chance to host the conference tournament on the line, the Tigers lost 102-95.

    This great rivalry probably isn't done this season. If Wooster clinches the title by winning its final two regular-season games, the No. 6 Tigers (20-3, 12-2 NCAC) and No. 3 Scots (22-1, 13-1 NCAC) could meet again in a few weeks in the NCAC tournament.

    "We went to their court and beat them up there (69-51 in January)," Wittenberg junior post Daniel Russ said, "so we know that's something we can do. I imagine it'll be another great game if we go up there."

    There is little chance it will be as great a game as this one. It was the first triple-overtime game for Wittenberg since 2000, and there were enough memorable shots, runs, rebounds, steals and turnovers to fill the next 10 Wittenberg-Wooster games.

    No one made more big baskets than Russ, who finished with a career-high 37 points, 15 of which he tallied after the end of regulation.

    Russ felt unstoppable throughout the game, even though he played most of the three overtime periods with four fouls. He also felt tired down the stretch, forced to play every minute when his fellow big man, Dane Borchers, fouled out early in the first overtime.

    "I was (tired) toward the end," he said. "When I saw that our team needed the basket, I felt that I wanted the ball and I tried to get close to the basket every time.

    "Players get in those zones where you just want the ball. You have to have it. You feel like you can score every time. That kind of happened for me at the end of the game."

    Wooster couldn't stop Russ, who was the first, second and third option for the Tigers once he got going.

    "Dan Russ was outstanding," Wooster coach Steve Moore said. "He was tremendous. He's a great player."

    Yet Wooster made just a few more big shots than Wittenberg. The biggest was a 3-pointer by Kyle Witucky with one second left in the second overtime. His first field goal of the game, with a man in his face, tied the game at 88.

    "I thought both teams showed a lot of courage and pride," said Wittenberg coach Bill Brown, whose team had won eight of the last nine regular-season matchups with Wooster. "The shot, down three, we're just defending the heck out of him. They almost weren't even going to get a shot off. It just wasn't supposed to be."

    In the third overtime, Wittenberg led 95-93 when Wooster's Andy Van Horn, who led the Scots with 22 points, made two free throws to tie the game with 1:22 left. Then Wittenberg's Kenny Molz turned the ball over, and Wooster's Tom Port scored on a fast-break layup. He was fouled on the play and missed the free throw, but Wooster got the offensive rebound.

    The Scots hit free throws down the stretch to put the game away.

    "It's a satisfying feeling that we went out there and left everything on the court," Russ said. "At the same time, it's always disappointing that we didn't get the W."

    The overtimes almost weren't needed.

    South High School graduate James Cooper, playing his first game back in his hometown since graduation last year, shot a 3-pointer at the buzzer at the end of regulation. The shot went in and out, and the teams remained tied at 69.

    Cooper finished with five points.

    "It was a tremendous game," said Moore, a Wittenberg graduate who won his 400th career game earlier this season. "I've been involved with basketball for a lot of years. Everybody knows how old a coach I am. It's the best basketball game I've been involved with."

    Wittenberg returns to action Wednesday at home against Ohio Wesleyan.

No. 2

Feb. 25, 2006

Wittenberg 71, Wooster 69

Witt when it counts

With an NCAA berth on the line, Tigers top Wooster

By LUCAS SULLIVAN News-Sun Sports Writer

    WOOSTER — Revenge is not always sweet just because it is served. Sometimes it depends on how and when it is obtained.

    Hence the phrase, "Revenge is a dish best served cold."

    For Wittenberg it couldn't have served its revenge on Wooster at a better time than in the finals of the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament.

    The Tigers beat the topseeded Scots 71-69 Saturday in front of 3,317 fans in Timken Gym. And they did it with a stingy defense that held the Scots to their second lowest scoring output of the season and a cool 31 points below their season average.

    The win also gives the Tigers (25-3) back-to-back NCAC titles for just the second time since joining the conference in 1988 and an automatic bid to the Division III NCAA tournament.

    This was also Bill Brown's 300th win in 13 seasons as Wittenberg coach. The victory all but erases two tough losses to the Scots (25-3) earlier in the season.

    "It's just still all a blur to me," said Brown, as he was getting ready to cut down the rest of net after the game. "Hopefully, it will sink in after I watch the tape, but right now it is all a blur."

    Brown's head was spinning because after his Tigers took a 65-56 lead with 1:16 left, the Scots rallied back to within one point after sinking three 3-pointers in three possessions to make it 69-68 with 7 seconds left. Tigers senior post Dan Russ then hit two free throws to make it 71-68 and after a Wittenberg

    timeout, Pat Denbow purposely fouled Wooster's Kyle Witucky with 2.6 seconds left.

    Witucky made the first free throw to make it 71-69 and purposely missed the second, with the ball going off a Tigers defender with .2 seconds left.

    "It was unbelievable," Tigers starting post Phil Steffes said. "They just wouldn't stop coming and hitting those 3-pointers. But we weren't expecting anything other than that."

    It seemed unbelievable because the Scots had almost erased a nine-point deficit and had a chance to at least tie the game.

    But while Scots coach Steve Moore was asking that time be put back on the clock, Brown reminded the striped shirts that with the time remaining, all Wooster could do was tap it in. The referees then huddled, disagreed with Moore and made it aware to everyone that all Wooster could do was tap the ball in the basket with the time remaining.

    That's when the rally ended.

    "This has to be one of the best games in Division III history," Steffes said. "It was crazy. That was a long two minutes. If there is a better game in D-III I would be really surprised."

    If Brown could be happier with the way his four starting seniors played in one of their biggest games in four years, that would be equally as surprising.

    Steffes, a senior who is known for his defensive ability rather than his four points a game average, picked Wooster sophomore and Springfield native James Cooper's pocket with two minutes to go and Kenny Brady's jumper made it 63-56. On the Scots' next possession, it was Steffes who came down with a missed 3-pointer by Brandon

    Johnson and then sank two free throws to make it 65-56 Wittenberg with 1:16 left.

    "I'm just glad I got Cooper back," said Steffes, speaking of Cooper's 24 points he put up in the Scots' 86-77 win at the HPER Center on Feb. 4. "He's been killing me all season."

    Brady, also a starting senior, then knocked down two free throws with 16 seconds left to make it 69-65 Wittenberg and, more importantly, a two-possession game. Then Russ, who moved to ninth on Wittenberg's all-timer scorering list with 1,443 career points, hit the two clutch free throws with seven seconds left to give the Tigers a 71-68 lead and give him 20 points on the night, a performance only eclipsed by fellow senior post Dane Borchers.

    Borchers' 22 points and 14 rebounds, his best double-double output of the season, earned him tournament MVP honors. Borchers, who has already decided to come back for a fifth season after a medical redshirt his freshman year, had 51 points and 30 rebounds in three NCAC tournament games this week.

    "That MVP doesn't mean anything to me because it's not one person out here that does it all," Borchers said. "It's something I'll remember forever, though."

    What the Tigers will remember was holding one of the nation's top offenses, which averages 100 points per game, to its second lowest output of the season. And they did so by cutting off Wooster's main life support, the 3-point shot.

    "We took their biggest punch and came out with a win," said Russ, adding that his team was motivated by not losing three times to one team in a season. "Coach kind of called us out on that, saying it's tough as hell to beat a team three times in a row. We kind of took that to heart and we just didn't want one team to beat us three times this year. There was a lot of pride on the line tonight."

    The Tigers held Wooster to seven threes on 18 attempts and allowed the Scots to shoot only 42 percent from the floor, 11 percent lower than their average. They also held Cooper, who finished with a team-high 20 points, to six points in the second half. The Scots were also outrebounded 37-29 for the game.

    "Our guys made a great comeback and they showed their guts and character," Moore said. "Throughout the game, we needed to be better offensively. We have to give Wittenberg credit for its excellent defense. They always play great defense."

    Wooster will also surely get an invite to the NCAA tournament, but will find out for sure during tonight's selection show at 10 p.m. Wittenberg is definitely in, but won't find out until Monday morning who they will play.

No. 3.

Wooster 86, Witt 83

COOPER SINKS WITT

South grad hits long 3-pointer in final seconds to lift Wooster

By LUCAS SULLIVAN News-Sun Sports Writer

    WOOSTER — Two years ago, South High School graduate James Cooper literally pleaded with Wittenberg officials to let him attend the university and play basketball for the

Tigers, but was ultimately denied because, according to administrators, he failed to meet admission standards.

    As fate would have it, Cooper was then accepted at the College of Wooster and now starts for the Scots. Saturday night at Timken Gym in front of 3,319, Cooper got his revenge, denying the No. 3 Tigers' their seven-straight win and a seat atop the North Coast Athletic Conference by sinking a 28-foot 3-pointer with 4 seconds left to give No. 2 Wooster an 86-83 victory.

    "Oh yeah, it's the biggest shot of my career," said Cooper, who prolonged the Scots' season-long winning streak, which now stands at eight, including a 4-0 mark in the NCAC. "It makes it a whole lot bigger (because it came against Wittenberg). I can't even explain it to you."

    After Witt's senior post Dan Russ tied the game at 83-83 with 22.4 left, Wooster coach Steve Moore decided not to call a timeout, but held one finger while Cooper had the ball.

    "He has the authority to do whatever he wants to," Moore said. "Yeah, that is a lot of responsibility to give a sophomore, but we have total confidence in what James can do with the ball."

    Cooper waived off a pick and looked as if he was going to penetrate, but pulled up from 28-feet and flushed it. Wittenberg coach Bill Brown looked toward the ceiling, not believing the odds of Cooper hitting the shot.

    "You wouldn't expect to shoot that shot with the score tied and you only need two and both teams are in the double bonus," Brown said. "Conventional thinking would be to drive it for a foul, or challenge the officials for a foul. It was only a good shot because it went in."

    The Tigers (6-1, 1-1 NCAC) had a chance to tie when the inbounds pass from senior wing Kenny Brady found freshman Gregg Hill, whose shot hit off the backboard and off the rim as the buzzer sounded.

    As the students rushed the floor to hoist Cooper on their shoulders, Moore stood near the scorers' table, stunned at what just happened.

    "When you have James one on one, it's hard to stop him," Moore said. "I would have liked to see the shot a little closer, but he made it, so it doesn't matter."

    Prior to the shot, Wooster's biggest moment of the game was clawing back from a 20-6 first-half deficit to trail 41-40 at halftime against a Tigers team that was allowing an average of 53.5 points in their previous six games.

    "That was huge for us, but we had too many turnovers," Moore said. "I would say six of our seven (total) turnovers came there in the first five minutes of the game."

    Meanwhile, Witt was not hiding its strategy of exposing Wooster's smaller post players and Russ was having a field day, finishing with 33 points and seven rebounds, the second-best scoring output of his career.

    The Tigers also wore out the foul line, making 22 of 23 free throws — two off the school record of 24 of 25 set in 1954 against Hiram — and shot 51 percent from the floor.

    Wooster was 15 of 21 from the foul line, but the difference last night came at the 3-point line.

    Wooster made 11 of 27 (40.7 percent), while Wittenberg attempted 11, making three (27.3 percent). Brown said he knew the Scots, who have now attempted 195 threes on the season, were going to shoot from outside and thought his defense did an OK job of limiting their output.

    "We did a good job, well a modest job, of containing their 3-point shooters," Brown said. "They were going to get their opportunities and they did."

    Cooper finished with 21 points, trumped by teammate Tom Port's 25 points. Witt senior post Dane Borchers followed Russ with 16 points and 11 rebounds for his first doubledouble of the season, and Tyler Howard came off the bench to score 10 points.

    The Tigers also outrebounded the Scots 37-28, but turned the ball over 15 times and had Brady and Borchers in foul trouble for most of the game.

    "The place that really affected us was taking Dane out of the game," Brown said. "It really impacted us a lot. He had 16 points, so not to have them out there when we wanted to was big.

    "We had our chances to win it. I don't put it down just to this, but there were two loose balls in the last two minutes that we did not come up with."

No. 4

Feb. 23, 2002

Wittenberg 58, Wooster 57

Tigers NCAA Bound

Witt men top Wooster for NCAC tourney title

Byline: By KEITH WALTHER, News-Sun Sports Writer

It was an eerily similar situation to the closing seconds in last year's North Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament final.

You'll have to excuse the Wittenberg Tigers for preferring this year's ending.

Wooster's Antwyan Reynolds' off-balance 28-footer at the buzzer missed its mark, setting off a frenzied celebration at mid-court as Wittenberg claimed a 58-57 victory in front of 2,310 fans at the HPER Center on Saturday night.

``Reynolds' shot seemed like it was in the air forever,'' Witt senior Greg Rustad said. ``But when it bounced off the front of the rim ... well, you can't top that feeling.''

It was Reynolds who found the mark on a 3-pointer that gave Wooster a 59-56 win and an automatic berth into the Division III NCAA tournament a year ago to beat the regular season champion Tigers. This year, however, that privilege goes to Wittenberg (25-3).

``It is really difficult to win a regular season championship and then go into a tournament and play a team of high, high quality like Wooster _ and (beat) them for the third time (this season),' a jubilant, yet exhausted, Wittenberg coach Bill Brown said moments after his team cut down the HPER Center nets.

How difficult was it? The Tigers led only once in the game _ that is until Rustad provided the margin of victory with three made free throws with 10.8 seconds.

Trailing 57-55 with under 20 seconds remaining and the shot clock winding down, Rustad went one-on-one on the perimeter against Wooster's Matt Smith. Rustad pulled up, faked the 3-pointer and drew contact from Smith, who had left his feet on the fake. The foul was called, and Rustad calmly sank all three freebies.

``All these teams fly at me, thinking I'm a shooter,'' an emotionally spent Rustad said. ``I had the clear out and I knew Smith was going to try to block my shot. I knew I could get him in the air and then draw contact and he fouled me. He came at me, went into the air, and I can lean forward a little bit.''

And the senior, saying he ``wasn't about to let his teammates down'' was steady as a rock under the pressure of the moment.

``In the first half, Greg had three free throws on a foul off a 3-pointer and he looked bad up there (making just one),'' Brown said. ``Now he has to step back up there at that point in the game and they were just in the bottom (of the net). It was just a really heads-up play on Greg's part.''

Junior B.J. Harris, named the MVP of the tournament, also heaped praise on his senior leader.

``Greg was not going for any tie, he was going for the win,'' he said. ``He got Smith in the air and drew the foul and I can't believe the ref called it because sometimes they don't call that. But it was a foul.''

After Rustad's heroics, the task of making sure the Scots didn't score remained.

Reynolds, after dribbling the length of the floor against defensive pressure from freshman Danny Brywczynski, lost control of his dribble on the right wing. He was able to retrieve the ball but was heading away from the basket. After one dribble to his left, he turned and hoisted up his final shot as a Scot.

``On the last play, we had a play set up on a pick where Antwyan had the option to penetrate and see if he could create something,'' Wooster coach Steve Moore said.

For a moment, as the ball was airborne, Wittenberg thought of last year's conclusion.

``I looked and I thought, `Oh man, no!','' said sophomore Rod Emmons. ``It looked off to me coming out of his hands and it was just great after it missed.''

``You just hope at that point,'' Brown said. ``It's amazing how much different two points can make you feel.''

The Tigers, down 42-34 with 10 minutes to play, battled back to within 46-44 after back-to-back treys by freshman Andy Bucheit (10 points) and sophomore Mark Borland.

Moments later, trailing 49-44, Bucheit again came up big, drilling a long 3-pointer from the left wing and a 15-foot baseline jumper to tie the score with 3:55 remaining.

From there, the lead changed hands three times, lastly on a lay-in by Wooster's Bryan Nelson with 42 seconds left that gave the Scots (21-7) their 57-55 edge and set up Rustad's rescue.

Now the Tigers will gather together tonight for the Division III tournament selection (9 p.m. on D3hoops.com). Unlike last year, they are certain to be part of the show and Brown believes they should receive a favorable draw for their successes.

``You can quote me on this,'' Brown began. ``We are 25-3, win the regular season championship by two games and win the conference tournament. It would be a travesty of the whole Division III setup if we don't have a (first round) bye on Thursday and if we don't play at home on Saturday.''

No. 5

Feb. 4, 2006

WOOSTER 86, WITTENBERG 77

Two too tough for Tigers

Cooper scores 24 as No. 2 Wooster topples No. 1 Witt

By LUCAS SULLIVAN News-Sun Sports Writer

    In December, Wooster fans carried South High School graduate James Cooper out of Timken Gym on their shoulders after he hit a game-winning 3-pointer to sink Wittenberg.

    After Saturday's game against the top-ranked Tigers, they might name a street after him.

    Cooper scored a game-high 24 points, including three 3-pointers, as the No. 2 Scots beat the No. 1 Tigers 86-77 in front of 3,100 at the HPER Center to grab a firm hold of the top spot in the North Coast Athletic Conference.

    The Scots are now 20-1 overall and 12-0 in the NCAC and two games ahead of the Tigers (19-2, 10-2) with four conference games left to play.

    "Obviously James Cooper was the difference," Wittenberg coach Bill Brown said. "And in case you didn't know, he is from Springfield."

    Brown was being sarcastic, but his sense of humor after the game showed the Tigers did almost all they could to corral a Scots team that made 12 of 23 (52.2 percent) 3-pointers.

    "It was like my homecoming game," Cooper said. "My family was here. It was a big crowd; you know, it's the Wittenberg-Wooster game."

    The sophomore guard did not disappoint some 20 family members in attendance, scoring Wooster's first eight points after Wittenberg took a 5-0 lead.

    It was the last one the Tigers would have the rest of the game.

    The Scots went on to make 9 of 12 (75 percent) from 3-point range in the first half, shooting better from behind the arc than they did from the floor (66 percent). The nine threes made a difference, too, as evident by the 49-40 halftime lead and the final score.

    But just before the half, Cooper sank about a 30-footer, almost the same distance of the winning 3-pointer he made back in December.

    Cooper said it was a message to Wittenberg that it wasn't a fluke, he could make more than one. "I think it did (send a message)," Cooper said. "I was ready to go from the start." Also a big difference for the Scots was senior Tom Port getting the start after missing the last five games with a fractured left wrist. Port finished with 13 points, including three 3-pointers, and had four rebounds. "It took me a little while to get my legs underneath me," Port said. "Then I started penetrating and created some open shots." Couple the first-half effort from long range with the first three 3-pointers the Scots made to start the second half and Wooster shot 80 percent from behind the arc through the first 24 minutes. Scots coach Steve Moore said he hadn't seen a shooting exhibition like that in his 24 years of coaching. "We've had some games where the percentage is higher," Moore said. "But it was not done against a defensive team like this. Wittenberg's defense is outstanding." Twice now the Tigers have held the nation's fifthbest scoring offense (100.7 ppg) to 86 points with the nation's best defense that allows an average of 52.7 points a game.

    It hasn't been proven if there is a defense that can guard a 28-foot 3-pointer, or a team that shoots 80 percent from behind the arc, but Brown thought his Tigers could have done a better job.

    "They were just better than we were tonight," Brown said. "There were only a handful of times, in my opinion, that we executed the defensive game plan. That was frustrating."

    Offensively, the Tigers tried to match the Scot's output, cutting a once 12-point deficit to four late in the second half, but couldn't keep pace.

    "We just didn't capitalize on the opportunities," Tigers senior post Dan Russ said. "We were cutting into their lead — they were hitting early on threes and we knew that was their game — we just kept cutting the lead to four or six points and they kept stretching it out again."

    Russ tied fellow senior post Dane Borchers with a team-high 22 points, with Borchers pulling down 11 rebounds. Senior wing Kenny Brady followed with 13 points.

    Wooster had five players score in double figures, including Cooper and Port, with Tim Vandervaart scoring 12 points, Andy Van Horn 11 and Brandon Johnson 11. The Scots shot 55.8 percent from the floor and the Tigers 51.6

    "It's pretty disappointing," said Russ, about the loss. "We had all the students talking about it and tons of people showed up. So it's disappointing in that aspect that we let the fans down."

No. 6

Jan. 19, 2008

Wittenberg 87, Wooster 86 (OT)

By David Jablonski Staff Writer

    SPRINGFIELD — Showered and dressed, Gregg Hill emerged from the Wittenberg locker room. He made his way to coach Bill Brown in the hallway.

    About 20 minutes had passed since Hill's layup with four seconds left in overtime gave the Tigers an 87-86 victory over No. 19 Wooster, and the junior guard still looked stunned and emotional.

    "How about that?" said Brown, as he hugged Hill on Saturday night at Pam Evans Smith Arena.

    The basketball lords smiled on us, Brown told Hill as they celebrated their ninth straight win and the end of a four-game losing streak to Wooster in Springfield.

    Those same lords had laughed and scowled and teased Hill in the first half. Wittenberg's best shooter missed seven shots in a row at one point.

    "I speeded it up too fast," Hill said. "I should have been more patient. I wasn't more patient. As the game went on, I started to get more patient, and shots started falling."

    Even though he hit a 3-pointer from four steps behind the arc to stop that cold spell and banked in another 3-pointer with 15 seconds left in OT to cut Wooster's lead to one, Hill still had one of his worst shooting nights of the season in the biggest game of the season.

    And the best news for Hill is it doesn't matter at all because of what he did with four seconds left. After two missed free throws by Wooster's Marty Bidwell with 11 seconds left, Hill drove the length of the court and got a layup to fall.

    The play was called "Fire," and Brown had called for it in the timeout before Bidwell's free throw. The goal of the play was to isolate Hill and let him drive to the basket, pull up for a jump shot — a 2 or a 3-pointer, depending on how many free throws Bidwell made — or dish the ball to a teammate when the defenders converged on him.

    "Coming down the court, I knew I had to make something happen," Hill said.

    Wooster's Brandon Johnson then missed a shot at the buzzer.

    Hill finished with 16 points, and senior Brandan Barabino scored a career-high 26 points, including three free throws with one second left in regulation to tie the game at 76-76.

    South graduate James Cooper led Wooster with 21 points, but the Scots went cold in the final minutes of regulation. They didn't hit a field goal in the last 5:46 as the Tigers rallied from what had been an 11-point deficit.

    The game was a story of redemption for the Tigers, just as the season has been. They now sit alone in first place in the North Coast Athletic Conference at 6-0 (10-5 overall) after beginning the season 1-5.

    "We have no problem admitting that at the end, the basketball lords shined on us," Brown said, "but we did show tremendous resolve and determination, just to keep on grinding, to hang around long enough for fate to fall our way."

    "It was one of the most emotional games for me," Hill said, "because they beat us here last year and they beat us here my freshman year."

No. 7

Feb. 24, 2001

Wooster 59, Wittenberg 56

Three times no charm for Tigers

Wooster finally gets best of Wittenberg big men

Byline: By KEITH WALTHER, News-Sun Sports Writer

True, two out of three ain't bad. But it's also not good enough for Wittenberg to secure an automatic bid to the Division III NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers may have owned Wooster in two regular season matchups this season, but the Scots are now proud owners of the aforementioned bid after stunning Wittenberg, 59-56, in the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament final Saturday night at the HPER Center in front of 2,475 fans.

Antwyan Reynolds' three-pointer from the right wing with 28 seconds remaining broke a 56-all tie and gave the Scots the win that mattered most.

Three-point attempts by Greg Rustad and Kyle Krauss missed the mark in the final seconds and tournament Most Valuable Player winner Bryan Nelson (31 points, 10 rebounds) pulled in the rebound as time expired, setting off a frenzied Wooster celebration while Wittenberg players like senior Ryan Taylor clumped to the floor in emotional agony.

``We were going to run a pick-and-roll and get it to Nelson but they backed off and I just put it up,'' Reynolds said. ``This is just sweet after losing to them twice. No one thought we were going to win this _ except us.''

So now, while the Scots, 24-3, know they'll be dancing in March, the Tigers are squirming in February _ wondering if they will receive an NCAA at-large bid. That word comes down tonight at 9 o'clock as the Division III pairings are announced.

Surely, a 23-3 team ranked No. 2 in the country by d3hoops.com and with two victories over a top five team like Wooster will get a bid, right?

To a man, everyone involved in Saturday's battle believed the Tigers are a lock.

``Oh, they're in _ no question,'' Reynolds said. ``They weren't in the same situation as us.''

``This was a must-win for us I think,'' said Nelson, a Dayton native. ``Having beaten us twice and winning the regular season title, I think Wittenberg definitely gets in.''

``If they don't get in, it's a crime,'' Wooster Coach Steve Moore added.

Thanks for the kind remarks, fellas, but pardon Wittenberg Coach Bill Brown for still being a tad concerned.

``I know we deserve to be in,'' Brown said. ``We won 15 in a row (until Saturday) at the time of the year you're supposed to do that. But while we deserve it, that doesn't mean we are going to get in. I really hope for this basketball team that they do _ particularly the seniors.''

One of those seniors, Taylor, cringed as Wooster cut down the nets on the court where he had given Witt fans so many memories. But if Selection Sunday doesn't go their way, one memory Taylor, Chris Fillmore, Krauss and Alex Welp will not take with them from Wittenberg is that of playing in the NCAA tournament.

``Our main goal was to cut the nets down here. It definitely hurts,'' Taylor said. ``Hopefully we'll still be playing. But when you leave it up to the committee, it's pretty hard. It would be an empty feeling not to get to play basketball again for Wittenberg. I'd like to experience the NCAAs once anyway.''

The Tigers have not played in the NCAA Tournament since the 1996-97 season. Meanwhile, the Scots have captured three consecutive NCAC tournament titles.

``They took the regular season championship away from us,'' Reynolds said. ``But tonight we battled hard. We knew this game was the best way to assure yourself a trip to the (NCAA) tournament.''

The Scots were out-rebounded by Wittenberg, 58-25, last week in a 94-80 loss at Wooster. Though out-boarded 34-31 Saturday, the Scots did not allow the Tigers to enjoy the interior domination they had in the previous two contests.

``We knew we couldn't guard them straight up inside so we had to send help,'' said Moore, referring to the Scots' strategy to double down on the Tiger post players. ``I mean, it's not that we don't respect their outside shooting, but we couldn't let them do what they have to us inside.''

Packing their defense in, Wooster bodied up and contested every shot Wittenberg attempted, holding the Tigers to a season-low 33 percent shooting for the game (18 of 54).

``I thought the pace of the game was to our advantage, we just didn't finish our shots that we had,'' said sophomore forward Kevin Longley, who led the Tigers with 17 points and 12 rebounds. ``We didn't hit the big shots like we usually do and Reynolds hit that one for them.''

Wittenberg trailed 39-31 at the half but, with renewed defensive vigor, held Wooster to just two points through the first 8:57 of the second half and took a 44-41 lead on a three-pointer by B.J. Harris. A Longley free throw pushed the Wittenberg advantage to 49-45 with 9:26 to play. But Wooster answered with a 7-1 run _ five of the points from Nelson _ to forge a 52-50 lead 5:25 to go.

After three more lead changes and two ties, a Taylor field goal gave Wittenberg a 56-55 lead at the 1:38 mark. Nelson sank one of two free throws at 1:20 to tie it at 56-all.

The Tigers ran a play for Taylor inside, but the 6-foot-5 forward's leaner rimmed in and out with 57 seconds remaining. Then, with the shot clock winding down, Reynolds swished his game-winner over Longley's outstretched hands.

``There was just more fire and hunger in their play in the first half,'' Brown said. ``The second half we showed that same fire and hunger but just didn't get our shots to fall.

``This was a typical Wittenberg-Wooster game. It was a blood bath with a lot of contact, even away from the ball.''

``It was a slugfest out there, very physical,'' Taylor said. ``They really wanted it because if they had lost three times to us, I don't know if they would have go

tten into the tournament.''

Now, as it stands, Taylor and the Tigers are the ones playing the waiting game.

No. 8

Feb. 26, 2005

Wittenbergh 61, Wooster 59

Witt's revenge

Tigers NCAA-bound after avenging last year's tourney loss to Wooster

By LUCAS SULLIVAN News-Sun Sports Writer

WOOSTER, Ohio — Wittenberg men's basketball coach Bill Brown had to make one stop Saturday on his way to W o o s t e r ' s T i m k e n Gymnasium, where his Tigers would decide the North Coast Athletic Conference championship and their NCAA tournament fate.

    Brown walked into a local Wal-Mart and bought Gatorade, oranges and scissors.

    A few hours later the 12-year veteran wept as he climbed the ladder at Wooster to cut down the net with his brand new shears, after his No. 2 seed Tigers beat the top-seeded Scots 61-59 to win the NCAC tournament for the second time in four years.

    "It was not an arrogant way or anything, but we wanted to cut down some nets today in Wooster," said Brown, whose Tigers will now wait for the NCAA tournament draw tonight at 10:30 to see where and who they play. "You couldn't guarantee there was going to be a game after this so our No. 1 goal was to get it done here today.

    "I'm a little bit (emotional) that way. I don't work any harder than Wooster does, but I work really hard. When you put a lot of work into something, it hurts when you lose, but it feels really good when you win sometimes."

    Wittenberg had the opposite feeling a season ago when it lost 100-71 to Wooster in Springfield in the NCAC tournament championship. This time, the roles were reversed.

    Wittenberg's victory marks the third time in the rivalry's history that the Scots (26-2) have grabbed the No. 1 ranking on a Tuesday only to have the Tigers (25-3) beat them on a Saturday.

    "There are so many things to talk about," Brown said. "What a difference a day makes."

    Brown was speaking about the Tigers' sluggish overtime win over Wabash in the semifinals Friday. Many wondered if the Tigers could rebound from the performance and take the season series over the Scots 2-1.

    "We put that behind us pretty quickly," Brown said. "Having four seniors and four juniors, it makes a big difference."

    One of those juniors, Daniel Russ, hit two free throws with seven seconds left in the game to put the Tigers up 61-57 after Wooster had cut a seven-point deficit to two at 59-57.

    Russ, who was named tournament MVP, finished with 19 points to lead the Tigers. The front end of his 1-and-1 with a raucous crowd wearing black and gold might have been his best shot of the night.

    But there wasn't a bigger shot than the 3-pointer Kenny Molz hit after the Scots' 11-2 run made it 51-50 with two minutes to go.

    "I had a 102-degree fever last night," Molz said. "I didn't even know if I was going to play. I'm losing my voice right now, but that's all right, we beat a real good Wooster team."

    The shot was also vindication for the reserve point guard, who had a late turnover in the third overtime in the 102-95 loss to the Scots on Feb. 12 in Springfield.

    "It was a little bit," Molz said.

    Brown thought so too.

    "We didn't choke in Springfield," he said. "That was one of those losses that hurt, but it was no one person's fault."

    Molz's best performance was containing South graduate James Cooper, who kept killing the Tigers throughout the game — finishing with a game-high 19 points on his way to all-tournament honors — and even made a 7-0 run in the second half all by himself.

    Thanks to Molz, those were the last points he scored.

    "It was good defense, but he really came to play," Molz said. "He is just a freshman and is going to be one hell of a player for them."

    Molz's story of redemption was just one of many Saturday.

    Senior Andy Bucheit, who made the all-tournament team, took on the mission of erasing the sluggish start against Wabash, quickly dousing any fears with a 3-pointer on Wittenberg's first possession to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead.

    It also erased what would be Wooster's last lead of the game.

    Bucheit, who made two 3-pointers in the Tigers' overtime win over Wabash, hit four on Saturday to finish with 12 points.

    "It takes so much pressure off our big guys when we can do that," Bucheit said. "The way we came together was just our style. I didn't know (Brown) was going to be (emotional) after the game, but I loved to see it."

    Wittenberg, which advances to the NCAA tournament for the eighth time in Brown's 12 seasons and for the second season in a row, may need to come together one more time, as a fourth matchup against the Scots in the tournament is not inconceivable.

No. 9

Feb. 16, 2002

Wittenberg 68, Wooster 66

No coin needed: Tigers top Scots

Wittenberg clinches NCAC title outright, avoids coin flip to decide tournament host

By KEITH WALTHER, News-Sun Sports Writer

WOOSTER _ Wittenberg didn't want a measly coin flip to decide who would host the North Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament. So the Tigers cashed in on their opportunity to capture the outright league title with a heart-stopping 68-66 victory Saturday at Wooster.

Leading by 12 points with 14:30 to play and by nine with 4:23 to go, it looked as if the Scots would gain a share of the regular-season title and force a post-game coin flip by the league (the final in a set of tie-breakers) for home court advantage throughout the upcoming NCAC tournament.

However, the Tigers were money down the stretch, outscoring the Scots 9-3 over the final 2:48 to notch their second straight regular-season title. Wittenberg (22-3, 15-1 NCAC) will not only host a first-round game against eighth-seeded Earlham at 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, but Friday's semifinals and Saturday's final as well.

"That would have been pitiful to judge who might be the best team in the league by a coin flip,'' said Witt senior guard Greg Rustad. "That wouldn't have been fair so we wanted to win. We knew we were the best team in this league, and we were not going to quit. We knew if we kept grinding it out that we would come out on top."

Simply put, the Tigers dug deep in the second half so that the NCAC front office wouldn't have to dig deep into its pocket for a coin.

Senior Brian Carlisle's tip-in with 4:23 left gave Wooster (19-6, 13-3) a seemingly insurmountable 63-54 advantage. But back-to-back field goals by Peter Walker ignited a pivotal 11-0 run by the Tigers.

After Walker's two buckets, Kevin Longley _ who scored 11 of his 12 points in the second half _ made the first of two free throws. The 6-foot-7 junior forward missed the second but B.J. Harris (12 points and 10 rebounds) pulled in the misfire and called time out with 2:44 remaining.

After the time out, sophomore Rod Emmons (11 points) drilled a 3-pointer from the left baseline to bring Wittenberg to within one, 63-62, with 2:40 to go. After a Wooster missed shot, Rustad buried a trey from the right baseline and was fouled by Carlisle with 2:05 to play. His free throw put the Tigers on top 66-63 and suddenly the 3,200 fans at Timken Gymnasium _ except for the small contingent of Tiger faithful _ went quiet.

After Wooster's Brad Mealer and Wittenberg's Danny Brywczynski traded a free throw apiece in the final minute, Scot senior point guard Antwyan Reynolds drove and scored with 17 seconds left to make it 67-66. Rustad then was fouled and hit one of two charity tosses with 14 seconds remaining.

Going for the "the best shot available," said Wooster coach Steve Moore, Reynolds lost the ball out of bounds, but it went off Harris with four ticks left.

Wooster in-bounded and tried to get it inside to Bryan Nelson _ who led all scorers with 24 points _ but the ball skipped away from him and Wittenberg's Andy Bucheit dove on it to seal the win.

"Our guys showed tremendous heart and they kept grinding,'' Wittenberg coach Bill Brown said.

It was Brown who called time after Ryan Snyder's 3-pointer made it 50-38 Wooster with 14:30 to play and proceeded to challenge his team.

"Coach asked us if we have had to dig real deep yet this year and we said, 'No,' " said Harris of the conversation in the huddle. "So he said we should have plenty left in us then."

Turns out, he was right.

Wittenberg responded with a 9-2 run to claw back to within striking distance at 52-47 with just under 10 minutes to play. After a three-point play by Nelson, Longley made a steal and went coast-to-coast for a slam and followed that with a three-point play of his own to make it 55-52 with 7:16 left.

"Give (Wittenberg) credit," a dejected Moore said. "They made some real good plays and hit some really big shots. When they did miss, they seemed to get the offensive rebound."

The first half featured four ties and 10 lead changes but, trailing 29-28, the Scots went on a 9-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer by Nelson, to take a 37-29 lead with 1:58 left in the half.

After a time out, the Tigers' Harris scored on an old-fashioned three-point play to draw his team to within 37-32. Freshman Blake Mealer responded by burying an 18-foot jumper for Wooster and Harris closed out the first-half scoring by splitting a pair of free throws as Wittenberg trailed 39-33.

Harris kept the Tigers in the game in the first half with 10 points and five rebounds.

"We never doubted ourselves," Longley said. "Everyone kept fighting, and we started hitting some shots and making some defensive stops."

"We had to find a way to get it done," Harris added. "We just had to beat them on their home court to show we were No. 1 in this league."

"Emmons and Rustad hit those big 3s, and we executed well down the stretch," Brown said. "But really, things just went our way at the end. Wooster also played with so much heart. What really determined that game? I mean, either team could have won it."

But, at least, a coin flip won't be needed to determine anything else.

No. 10

Dec. 10, 2006

Wooster 68, Wittenberg 65

Round One won by Wooster

Top-ranked Scots hand No. 6 Tigers their first loss of season and take the early-season lead in the NCAC race.

By Lucas Sullivan Staff Writer

    Wooster's offense played exactly as Wittenberg hoped it would, and the Scots still didn't fall.

    Key turnovers by the Tigers in the final seconds might be the reason Wooster is still standing as the No. 1 men's basketball team in NCAA Division III after handing No. 6 Wittenberg a 68-65 heartbreaking loss in front of 2,920 at the HPER Center on Saturday night.

    It's the third straight time the Scots (7-0, 3-0 North Coast Athletic Conference) have beaten the Tigers (6-1, 1-1) at the HPER Center, but this one might stick with the Tigers for twice that long.

    "It definitely feels like one we let slip away," Witt senior Jack Hemenway said. "We showed so much heart, and we never quit. To not come away with the win is tough. But we'll definitely grow from it."

    With a 65-63 lead and a chance to make it a two-possession game, Tigers sophomore guard Gregg Hill dished the ball off to Dane Borchers, who couldn't handle the pass.

    Wooster took the turnover, and after Tom Port rebounded a Scots' miss, he ran it from the paint to the left wing and buried a 3-pointer to put the Scots up 66-65 with 39 seconds left.

    "I got the rebound and I was looking for a point guard," said Port, a 6-5 forward who had not scored the entire second half until the three-pronged dagger. "Coach tells us in a situation like that you've got the green light, so, you know, I took it."

    It was Port who then picked off an errant pass from Wittenberg guard Pat Denbow, who was trying to find Borchers in the paint. After a Wittenberg foul with 7 seconds left, the Scots hit two free throws to take a 68-65 lead.

    "We call it inside. It's where we basically try to get it inside to a big guy," Borchers said. "I don't know what happened, but we turned it over."

    Wittenberg had a chance to tie it, but Hemenway's desperate attempt from the top of the 3-point arc went halfway down before coming out.

    "I thought it was in. I really did," Hemenway said.

    The loss smothered Wittenberg's 10-point second-half comeback, which was sparked by Hill's two clutch 3-pointers with a few minutes remaining.

    That gave Wittenberg its third lead of the game at 65-63.

    Hill finished with 18 points in a performance many Tigers fans will discuss near water coolers until he does something comparable again. No performance was bigger than Hemenway's, who had the game of his life with a career-high 20 points, thanks to 8 of 10 free-throw shooting.

    Borchers finished with his fourth double-double in seven games, amassing 18 points and 13 rebounds.

    Brandon Johnson led Wooster, which shot 40 percent from the floor, with 18 points. South graduate James Cooper had 11 points for the Scots and made 1 of 5 3-pointers.