Senior Day Rally Comes Up Short Against Oberlin

SPRINGFIELD, OH - In search of a home court victory to send three dedicated seniors out on a high note, the Wittenberg Tigers couldn't find the range in a 58-57 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) loss to visiting Oberlin.

The Tigers came into the game in a three-way tie for first place in the NCAC standings with three games to play, but Wittenberg lost for the second straight time to Oberlin to fall to 16-7 overall and 9-5 in the league. The Tigers still have plenty to play for, however, as they head to league-leading Denison on Wednesday and fellow contender John Carroll on Saturday. Wittenberg beat both teams in Springfield earlier in the season.

The task of securing an NCAC regular season championship, however, got much more difficult with the loss to Oberlin, a team that presented the Tigers with plenty of match-up issues due its positional length and size and an active zone defense that limited open looks. The Yeomen, who improved to 11-12 overall and 4-10 in the NCAC, limited Wittenberg to 30.8 percent shooting from the field in the game, including a paltry 8-of-38 from three-point range.

The Tigers' troubles started almost immediately as Oberlin jumped out to an 11-3 lead. The Tigers rallied to take a 16-14 lead with 9:32 remaining in the first half on a three-pointer by Spence Davidson (Lebanon, OH / Lebanon), but they immediately went cold again and trailed 32-21 at halftime.

Over the final 20 minutes, Wittenberg continued to struggle to find an offensive rhythm, but thanks to Oberlin's own shooting woes - including a 10-for-20 performance from the free throw line - the Tigers still had a final possession to win the game after a three-pointer by Ckai Rogan (Springfield, OH / Kenton Ridge) created a one-point margin in the closing seconds. However, Rogan had another long three carom off the rim as the buzzer sounded to end the game.

Sophomore Sam Miller (Ashville, OH / Teays Valley) was a bright spot off the bench for Wittenberg as he led the Tigers with 17 points, while freshman Noah Frayer (Odenton, MD / SPIRE Academy) finished with 15 points.

Wittenberg won the rebounding battle by a narrow 35-33 margin, led by Dawson Scott (New Castle, IN / New Castle) with eight boards. The Tigers also committed four fewer turnovers in the game.

Scott was one of three seniors honored prior to the game. He was joined on the court by Cal Bavineau (Dexter, MI / Dexter) and Eddie Brown (Lewis Center, OH / Olentangy Orange).

Written By: Ryan Maurer