Wittenberg Wins First NCAC Game of Season Over Oberlin
The Wittenberg women's basketball team needed a game like the one it played on Saturday. With the struggling Oberlin Yeowomen, with eight players in tow, on the schedule for a North Coast Athletic Conference game in the HPER Center, 15 Tiger players saw at least seven minutes of action and 13 of them scored as Wittenberg captured a 67-43 decision.
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg women's basketball team needed a game like the one it played on Saturday. With the struggling Oberlin Yeowomen, with eight players in tow, on the schedule for a North Coast Athletic Conference game in the HPER Center, 15 Tiger players saw at least seven minutes of action and 13 of them scored as Wittenberg captured a 67-43 decision.
The Tigers improved to 3-4 overall and 1-1 in the NCAC, and they have a little momentum generated by a two-game win streak heading into finals week. Wittenberg's next game is Saturday, Dec. 18, at Thomas More in a game that is set to tip off at 1 p.m. Oberlin dropped to 2-6 overall and 0-2 in the NCAC.
There are a variety of differences between the Wittenberg and Oberlin programs, and the biggest one manifested itself on-court during Saturday's game. The Tigers showed tremendous balance with no one attempting more than nine shots from the floor, scoring more than 11 points or playing more than 23 minutes. Oberlin, on the other hand, got all of its points from four players as all five starters played at least 33 minutes. That led to a whopping 41-0 advantage for Wittenberg in bench points.
Wittenberg scored the game's first eight points as the Yeowomen were held scoreless for the first 13:39. The lead expanded to 32-15 by halftime and the closest Oberlin got in the final 20 minutes was 14 points. After a ragged opening half, in which the shooting percentages were 28 for Oberlin and 45 for Wittenberg and the turnovers were a combined total of 29, the second half was a bit better played as the shooting percentages for both teams rose slightly and the turnovers totals were cut in half.
Senior guard Emilie Schmid led Wittenberg with 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field, and she added four steals and three rebounds. In addition, sophomore Rachel Clark-Haggy was solid with eight points and a game-high seven rebounds and freshman Ellie Stonecash scored eight points and grabbed four boards.
Oberlin got a game-high 24 points and eight steals from Christina Briboneria and 11 points, all in the second half, from Nicole Burford. The Yeowomen were outrebounded 47-27.