Tigers Clinch NCAC Championship By Pulling Away From Earlham

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - It wasn't easy, but somehow that clinching win usually isn't. But in the end, the Wittenberg Tigers put together a strong second half to slowly pull away from the visiting Earlham Quakers 81-60 and clinch a share of a second straight North Coast Athletic Conference regular season championship.

The two teams played a tight first half as Earlham stayed close to Wittenberg by outscoring the host Tigers 24-3 from behind the three-point arc. But in the paint, the Tigers were eating up the smaller, less physical Quakers behind the one-two punch of junior forward Kevin Longley and junior center B.J. Harris.

In the second half, Wittenberg turned up the defensive pressure and continued its frontal assault at the offensive end. The result was 29 percent shooting by the Quakers in the second half and a 41-23 Tiger advantage. Another key stat that contributed to the eventual 21-point differential was Wittenberg's rebounding advantage, a 42-27 difference.

Four players finished in double figures in scoring, led by Harris' 19 points and seven rebounds. Senior guard Greg Rustad played a fine all-around game with 15 points, six assists and 8-for-8 shooting from the free throw line while committing no turnovers in 26 minutes of action. Longley finished with his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and senior center Brian Gratsch came off the bench to contribute 10 points and five rebounds in just 17 minutes.

The win improved Wittenberg to 21-3 overall and 14-1 in the NCAC. The 2001-02 regular season wraps up at Wooster on Saturday with a game for first place in the NCAC and home court advantage in the conference championship tournament. All games can be heard on WBLY 1600 AM in Springfield or via the Internet on Wittenberg's Web site.