Big Second Half Once Again Propels Tigers To Victory In NCAC Quarterfinals

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers have made a habit of starting slow but finishing strong in recent weeks. Once again on Tuesday night the No. 1 seed in the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament turned it on in the final 20 minutes, this time burying visiting Earlham 78-51.

The Tigers actually trailed by as much as seven points in the first half and struggled to take a 36-31 lead into the locker room as halftime. But the second half was all Wittenberg as the Tigers shot 52.6 percent from the field and limited Earlham to just 25 percent shooting in outscoring the eighth-seeded Quakers 42-20 in the final 20 minutes.

Wittenberg was led by another tremendous all-around performance by junior center B.J. Harris, who hit for 21 points and 15 rebounds in just 22 minutes of action. Harris best game statistically was his 10th double-double of the 2001-02 season. He wound up the only Tiger player in double figures by game's end as Wittenberg once again showed off one of its greatest strengths - balance. Sophomore forward Peter Walker had nine points in 15 minutes off the bench and senior center Brian Gratsch and freshman guard Danny Brywczynski each chipped in with eight points off the bench.

Two key team statistics jump out as keys to the end result - Wittenberg's reserves outscored Earlham's bench 37-1 and the Tigers, the nation's leader in rebounding margin, outboarded their visitors by a whopping 50-25 margin.

The Tiger win earned Wittenberg the right to host the semifinals and finals of the NCAC tournament this weekend. Friday night's semifinals will be No. 2 seed Wooster against No. 3 seed Wabash at 5:30 p.m. and No. 1 seed Wittenberg against No. 4 seed Ohio Wesleyan at 7:45 p.m. All games can be heard on WBLY 1600 AM in Springfield or via the Internet on Wittenberg's Web site.