Wittenberg Stunned By Denison For First NCAC Loss

GRANVILLE, Ohio - For the first time since Feb. 12, 1997, the Denison Big Red captured a victory against the Wittenberg Tigers, breaking a 17-game losing streak with a stunning 89-79 double-overtime win against the 16th-ranked Tigers. It was just the second win for the Big Red in the last 65 meetings with the Tigers, both of which have come on Denison's home floor.

Series history aside, what made the loss all the more shocking were the recent results for both teams. The Big Red came in struggling with five losses in their first seven games, including an eight-point setback at home against Hiram on Wednesday. The Tigers came in riding high with a four-game win streak, including a Wednesday night victory over NAIA Division II No. 1-ranked Cedarville back home in the friendly confines of the HPER Center in Springfield.

Such is the unpredictable nature of collegiate athletics, and on this night the Wittenberg Tigers just didn't have the answers. Denison, led by a superlative performance by sophomore forward Danny Hodgkinson, who had 27 points, including 13-of-13 from the free throw line, did, especially in the two overtime periods as three Tiger post players, including the team's top scorers, fouled out of the game.

Wittenberg led by as much as 11 in the first half before the Big Red put together a 20-8 run going into the locker room at halftime, capped by a long three-pointer by Tony Julian, the start of a nightmarish trend for the Tigers. In the second half, the game seesawed back and forth with five ties and five leads for each team. The Tigers put together a furious rally in the closing minutes to force overtime, coming from seven points down on a three-pointer by senior guard Kenny Molz, an offensive rebound and putback by senior guard Danny Brywczynski and a clutch trey by senior wing Andy Bucheit with eight seconds remaining.

In the first overtime, both teams had their chances and neither team led by more than three points. The most crucial juncture for the Tigers came with just 42 seconds left and the Tigers clinging to a one-point lead when Brywczynski was charged with a turnover on a pass that went off junior post Dane Borchers' hands. Shepherd came down and buried another trey, putting the Big Red up two points. Borchers then responded with another game-tying jumper with 22 seconds left. As in regulation, the Big Red had a last-second three-pointer rim out and the two teams went to a second overtime.

Borchers followed fellow post players Jack Hemenway and Daniel Russ to the bench with his fifth foul at the 3:43 mark of the second overtime period and the score tied at 78. From that point, the Tigers missed their last seven shots from the field and managed just one point on a free throw as Denison dominated with 8-of-10 shooting from the free throw line and three-pointer by Pete Harris.

Wittenberg, which now has 10 days to repair the damage and prepare for always dangerous Ohio Northern on Dec. 21 in Ada, Ohio, was led by Borchers with 18 points and nine rebounds, while Russ scored 17 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the field in just 18 minutes of action due to foul trouble. Brywczynski and Bucheit, who had a phenomenal 21-point game against Cedarville, couldn't pick up the slack, although both reached double digits in scoring. Brywczynski finished with 12 points and five assists but made just 2-of-9 from three-point range, while Bucheit was 3-of-16 from the field and added 11 points and seven rebounds to the cause. The Tigers attempted 30 more shots than the Big Red in the game, thanks to a three-rebound advantage (including 18 offensive caroms) and an 11-foul differential, which led to 31-of-37 from the foul line for Denison.