Wittenberg Falls To Wooster In Triple Overtime Thriller

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - In the long and storied rivalry Wittenberg and Wooster share in men's basketball, it would be hard to imagine a better game from start to finish. Ranked third in the nation and hungry to avenge an 18-point setback in their home gym a month ago, the Wooster Scots pulled out a dramatic triple overtime victory over Wittenberg, 102-95.

If NCAA Division III had an ESPN Classic channel, this would be an "instant classic" shown over and over again for the ages. The Tigers, ranked sixth nationally and previously riding a 15-game winning streak, fell to 20-3 overall and, more importantly, 12-2 in the North Coast Athletic Conference. Wooster improved to 22-1 overall and 13-1 in the NCAC and moved into the drivers seat in the conference regular season title chase with just two games remaining for both teams.

Wittenberg started out hot, draining its first four three-pointers and moving out to a 24-14 lead midway through the first half. But Wooster battled all the way back to tie it at 28 and then hit a key putback shot to beat the halftime buzzer to trail by just four points at the intermission.

In the second half, Wittenberg again appeared to be in control, moving out to a 41-32 advantage less than three minutes in. But Wooster again battled back, and a 9-0 run turned a 54-48 Tiger advantage into a 57-54 Scot lead, their first since 6-5 in the opening minutes. Down the stretch, it was an amazing see-saw battle, featuring four ties in the final 3:55 as each team made clutch shot after clutch shot. None were bigger than Wooster's Andy Van Horn, who drilled three clutch three-pointers late in the second half or Wittenberg's Dane Borchers, who battled through a tough night offensively to tie the game with a pair of free throws with just 10 seconds left in the game.

In the first overtime, Wittenberg moved out to a 74-70 advantage and had possession of the ball. However, back-to-back turnovers gave the Scots new life as they tied the game at 74. Wooster's final five points, all on free throws, were matched by Wittenberg's Daniel Russ, who scored five of his career- and game-high 37 points to send it to a second OT.

In the second overtime, Russ had six more points and the Tigers appeared to be in control, leading 88-85 as the final seconds drained off the HPER Center clock. However, Wooster point guard Kyle Witucky, who had attempted just one shot all night from the field, calmly drilled a long three-pointer with just one second remaining on the clock to force the game's 10th tie and send it on to another five minutes.

The third overtime period, the first at the HPER Center since the 1997-98 season opener against Nazareth, finally brought resolution. Wittenberg's Kenny Brady hit a clutch three-pointer that was answered by Witucky and Van Horn and Russ matched foul shots to create the 13th and final tie with 1:23 remaining. However, Wooster's Tom Port made the big play, making a steal and going coast-to-coast for a dunk that gave Wooster a two-point lead they would never relinquish. The Scots scored the game's final seven points to pull out the improbable win.

The HPER Center was filled to capacity for the first time in the regular season since 1985 against Otterbein, ironically enough also a Wittenberg loss. The all-time series between Wittenberg and Wooster now stands at 46-38 in favor of the Tigers, and the Scots victory reversed a recent trend that had Wittenberg winning eight of the previous nine regular season meetings.

Statistically, Russ was the man of the hour, but Wooster's Witucky, Van Horn and Port had all the answers. Van Horn finished with 22 points, Port added 19, a team-high five assists and six rebounds, Tim Vandervaart chipped in with 18 points and four steals, Blake Mealer added 17 points off the bench and came up with three huge offensive rebounds in the overtime periods, Matt Schlingman contributed 11 points and six boards and Witucky capped his day with nine tallies and four assists.

Russ had 37 points, the highest scoring total for a Wittenberg player since Rod Emmons dropped 38 at Wabash in an overtime win two years ago. It was the second-highest point total in the HPER Center, just three short of Steve Iannarino's 40 points in 1987 against Denison. Senior wing Andy Bucheit had 14 points, including three straight free throws late in regulation, Brady finished with 14 points and matched Russ for game honors with nine rebounds, and Borchers chipped in with 12 points and five rebounds before fouling out a minute into the first overtime.

As a team, Wittenberg hit 49 percent from the floor, including 10-of-21 from three-point range, and 77 percent from the free throw line. The Tigers won the battle of the boards, 38-33, although several key rebounds went Wooster's way, particularly on back-to-back free throw misses by Wooster inside the final minute. Turnovers were probably the key stat, as Wittenberg finished with 16, compared to 12 by Wooster, and lost several golden opportunities late in the game to ballhandling miscues.

Wittenberg is back home again for senior night on Wednesday, Feb. 16 against Ohio Wesleyan and then concludes the regular season at Allegheny on Feb. 19. The NCAC Tournament opens on Feb. 22, and the Tigers are guaranteed no worse than the No. 2 seed and home game in quarterfinals.