Hot Shooting, Stingy Defense Lead Wooster Past Wittenberg 75-67

WOOSTER, Ohio – Behind its best shooting performance of the season, coupled with a stingy defensive effort, the College of Wooster managed a come-from-behind North Coast Athletic Conference victory Saturday over Wittenberg University inside Timken Gymnasium. When the final buzzer sounded, the Fighting Scots came away with the 75-67 victory over the Tigers.

With Wooster's win, along with other action that took place around the NCAC, five of the conference's nine teams are jumbled with four defeats headed into the final weeks of the season. Kenyon sits at 7-4, while Wittenberg and Ohio Wesleyan are 6-4, and Allegheny and Wooster are each 5-4.

For the game, Wooster shot a season-high 53.8 percent from the floor (28-of-52), including a 60.9 percent clip in the first 20 minutes (14-of-23), and 38.5 percent from beyond the arc (5-of-13) in the contest. Wittenberg was held to 41.3 percent shooting (26-of-63), while turning in a 38.9 percent (7-of-18) performance from three-point range. On the defensive end, Wooster coaxed the Tigers into 21 turnovers, converting those into 34 points, while the Scots committed 15 miscues, but Wittenberg managed just 17 points.

The contest was a battle from the get-go, as Wooster (7-11, 5-4 NCAC) scored the first two buckets, but Wittenberg (11-7, 6-4 NCAC) used an early 8-0 run to take a four-point lead when Stephanie Boardman hit a jumper at the 16:49 mark.

Covering a two-minute stretch, Wooster battled back with a 7-4 run of its own, slicing the visitors lead to one at 12-11 via an old-fashioned three-point play by Kaitlin Krister.

The next five-plus minutes of action saw Wittenberg reel off a 7-0 spurt and Wooster produce a 9-3 run giving the Tigers a 22-20 lead.  The two squads traded runs and defensive stops before Wittenberg held a five-point bulge at 33-28 with 4:56 left, but Wooster scored 12 of the final 15 markers and raced into the intermission with a four-point cushion.

Out of the break, Wittenberg edged its way to a four-point lead at 47-43 with 14:28 on a jumper by Boardman. However, Wooster ran off a 20-7 run over the ensuing 9:15, including 10 points from Kym Wenz, en route to a 63-54 lead with 5:13 showing on the clock.

Back-to-back three-pointers by Victoria Leali and Sarah Watson brought the Tigers within three at 63-60 with 4:18 left, but a stiff Scot defense held Wittenberg from getting any closer, as the Scots ended the game with a 13-7 scoring advantage to seal the win.

Pacing Wooster was Wenz, who poured in 26 points, including a perfect 10-of-10 at the free throw line while grabbing five steals and dishing out two assists. Krister ended the afternoon with a near double-double of 21 points, 16 coming in the second 20 minutes, along with nine boards, two blocks and two assists. Off the bench, Keshia Bulter chipped in eight points and six assists.

Leading Wittenberg was Boardman with 17 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while Watson bucketed 14 points, including going 4-of-4 from three-point territory. Katherine Hueter also finished in double figures with 12 points in addition to five rebounds and three assists, while Carrie Dyer added eight points, six boards, and four helpers in an all-around effort.

Coming into Saturday's contest, the Tigers ranked second in all of NCAA Division III in rebounding differential (+11.8), and it showed on Saturday, as the visitors out-rebounded the Scots by a 41-27 margin.

The Scots begin a busy week on Tuesday in the first of three games as they welcome Ohio Wesleyan University (10-9, 6-4 NCAC) in a key NCAC matchup. Tip-off inside Timken Gymnasium is slated for 7:30 p.m.