2007-08 News
Two years after the 1961 Wittenberg men's basketball team led by Head Coach Ray Mears and star forward Al Thrasher, class of 1964, was collectively inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame & Museum, the Tiger legends will be honored individually at the organization's third annual induction ceremony.
A solid 2007-08 winter sports season wrapped up for the Wittenberg University Tigers over the last two weeks as the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) awarded 17 Wittenberg student-athletes and coaches with postseason honors.
Wittenberg junior wing Gregg Hill (Farmington Hills, Mich./Redford Union) has been named first-team to highlight Wittenberg's selections to the 2008 All-North Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball squad, announced today after voting by the conference's head coaches.
The Wittenberg Tigers rallied from a 10-point deficit in the late-going, only to see Allegheny's Charlie Jaicks hit a game-winning shot with four seconds left to secure a 65-63 upset. The loss snapped an amazing Wittenberg streak of 22 straight conference tournament quarterfinal victories, dating back to 1986.
Few expected Wittenberg to lose on Saturday, but no one expected Kenyon to play like it was the end of the century, either. The Tigers dropped a 64-51 decision to the Kenyon Lords in the last regular season game of the year for both teams, breaking a 21-game win streak for Wittenberg in the series between the two teams, dating back to 1994.
After starting slowly and trailing most of the first half, the Wittenberg Tigers pulled it together in the second period to quiet the Wabash Little Giants in a 69-63 victory in Pam Evans Smith Arena on Wednesday night. After going into the intermission tied at 34, both teams held the lead at some point in the second half before Wittenberg pulled in front with two minutes to go and cruised into victory lane.
The Wittenberg-Wooster rivalry never fails to disappoint. Not permanently, at least. When the buzzer sounded Saturday night in Timken Gymnasium, the Scots had secured a 66-61 victory over the Tigers, and for about 30 seconds an air of disappointment fell over the Tiger crowd. But it was quickly replaced with the glow of pride and the satisfaction of being a part of one of the best Division III rivalries.
Despite failing to disarm the Bishops' sturdy zone defense in the first half, the Wittenberg Tigers pushed to a lead in the second period, but could not seal the deal as Ohio Wesleyan's venomous three-point shooting turned every chance at momentum into a short-lived burst, as Wittenberg fell 69-72 to the Bishops.
The Wittenberg University Tigers and the College of Wooster Fighting Scots, North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) men's basketball co-leaders at the start of the week, will renew their spirited rivalry at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, and tickets for the game at Timken Gymnasium in Wooster's Armington Physical Education Center are in high demand.
After a slow start, the Wittenberg Tigers put things together in the second half to pull away from Allegheny and record a 78-66 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) win over the Gators.
The Earlham men's basketball team pushed and prodded, but the men of Wittenberg would not be budged. After allowing Earlham to lead with six minutes left in the first half, the Tigers put ground between themselves and the Quakers with a 12-0 run to end the period, and sealed the victory with an 11-5 run to end the contest.
Wittenberg University Men's Basketball Head Coach Bill Brown reached another milestone with Saturday's 91-85 victory over host Hiram College. Now in his 21st season as a head coach and his 15th directing his alma mater's men's basketball program, Brown earned his 400th career victory.
The Hiram Terriers fought hard, perhaps harder than the Tigers have seen in recent history. But Wittenberg barely clutched to the lead for a 91-85 win.
The Wittenberg Tigers saw a 15-point second half lead evaporate but still managed to gut out a clutch 54-52 victory at North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) rival Wabash.
The Wittenberg men's basketball team recovered from a midweek loss to Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday by beating the visiting Kenyon Lords by a final score of 74-61. Numerous Tigers had hot hands as four different players shot 66% or better.
For the second straight game, the Wittenberg Tigers went toe-to-toe with one of the leading contenders for the 2008 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) championship. Unlike Saturday's dramatic overtime win over nationally ranked Wooster, the Tigers watched their opponent make the key plays down the stretch in a 70-67 loss at Ohio Wesleyan.