Kenyon Rallies Past Tigers In NCAC Quarterfinals
Facing the Kenyon Lords for the second time in four days, the Wittenberg Tigers were unable to pull off a repeat as they were defeated 65-60 in North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament quarterfinal action.
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Facing the Kenyon Lords for the second time in four days, the Wittenberg Tigers were unable to pull off a repeat as they were defeated 65-60 in North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament quarterfinal action.
The loss ended Wittenberg's season with a record of 13-13, just the second non-winning campaign since 1955-56 and the first since going 13-13 in 1967-68. The Tigers previously owned the longest streak of consecutive winning seasons in all NCAA divisions at 40. Kenyon improved to 16-10 overall and advanced to the NCAC Tournament semifinals for the first time in more than a decade.
The Tigers appeared to take control of the game late in the first half after putting together a 9-2 run that culminated with a three-pointer by freshman wing Josh McKee (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh) with 3:19 left. However, the Lords responded with a run of their own to cut the lead to 35-32 heading into the locker room at halftime.
That set the stage for a tense second half in which Kenyon again came up with every answer. The Tigers led until the 9:24 mark when Kenyon standout Bryan Yelvington stepped out of the post to drain a clutch three-pointer. The teams then traded the lead back and forth until Kenyon's Jim Arce hit his first shot of the night, a three-pointer with 1:39 left to break a 55-55 tie. Arce added another three-pointer at the 43-second mark and the Lords hit four straight free throws down the stretch to put the game away.
Statistically, the game was decided by three-point shooting. Kenyon hit its last three treys of the game to finish 8-of-19, while Wittenberg managed just 4-of-17 and missed all four long-range attempts in the final minute. The Tigers won the rebounding battle 34-32 and finished with one less turnover in the game, but the Lords made four more three-pointers and seven more free throws, including 8-of-10 for Yelvington, who was playing in his first game in several weeks due to illness. Neither he, nor guard J.T. Knight, who finished with a game-high 18 points, played in last Saturday's 68-44 Wittenberg win.
Individually, the Tigers were paced by senior wing Kevin Murray (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) with 11 points and six rebounds, while junior post Mark Snyder (Celina, Ohio/Riverside) added 10 points and a team-high seven boards. Freshman post Alex Brandt (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy) and McKee each added nine points.