Wittenberg Pulls Away Late in Otherwise Close Contest

WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster and Wittenberg University matched each other basket for basket for over 30 minutes of action, but the Tigers used a 21-6 run over the game's final 8:43 to pull away and upend the Fighting Scots 61-46 Saturday afternoon at Timken Gymnasium.

Jessica Wingen got Wooster (2-15, 0-7 NCAC) going offensively in the opening moments, knocking down her first two attempts, and Suvi Puripattarapan followed with her own pair of jumpers, tying the game 8-8. The game was tied on eight different occasions during the first half, including at 20-20, when Kristen Schwartz corralled an offensive rebound and put it back up and in just 2:17 before the break.

In the closing seconds of the half, Samantha Sulzer recorded an old-fashioned three point play, giving the Scots a 25-23 lead at intermission. Wooster was gritty throughout the first half, forcing the Tigers (9-8, 4-3 NCAC) into 14 turnovers and 28.6 percent (8-for-28) shooting from the field.

Neither team could gain separation early in the second half, as the score was knotted at 25, 28, 31, and 33, before Ashley Lindemann splashed a jumper from just inside the arc that gave Wooster a 37-35 lead. Wittenberg took its own lead (39-37) shortly after, but Lindemann hit a 3-pointer from the corner that pushed Wooster ahead by one (40-39).

A switch flipped on for Wittenberg at that moment, as the Tigers exploded en route to a 21-6 scoring run to close out the game. The key was Wittenberg's dominance on the glass, as they outrebounded Wooster 14-6 during that stretch, and 53-32 overall, allowing it to control the game's tempo and time of possession.

Wooster was led by a solid effort from Wingen, who totaled 15 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocked shots in the setback. Lindemann and Puripattarapan added seven points each, and Taylor Keegan had a game-high four steals.

Katherine Hueter paced the Tigers with 14 tallies and a game-high 16 boards. Lyndsey Clark was right there with her, adding 11 points and eight rebounds.

Up next, Wooster will visit Kenyon College (9-8, 3-3 NCAC) next Saturday at 2 p.m.