Tigers Rally For Hard-Fought Win At Franklin

FRANKLIN, Ind. - The Wittenberg Tigers continue to play short-handed. And the Wittenberg Tigers continue to find ways to win games - on the road, no less.

After capturing a 15-point decision at perennial powerhouse Capital four days earlier, the Tigers trailed for much of the game before rallying to defeat host Franklin 52-50. The win improved Wittenberg to 3-1 on the young season, while Franklin dropped to 1-3.

The Tigers trailed by eight points with 14:49 left in the game before going on a game-changing 10-point run. Franklin built the lead back out to 47-40 at the 5:52 mark, but the resilient Tigers answered with another 10-point burst to set the stage for a tense final minute.

A free throw with 56 seconds left and a lay-up with 30 seconds remaining drew the Grizzlies even. That's when senior Amber Rice (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) stepped up, draining a jump shot with just four ticks left on the clock. Franklin missed a buzzer-beating attempt to win the game.

Junior Heather Schroeder (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora) led the Tigers with 18 points, powered by an 8-for-8 performance at the free throw line. She added seven rebounds and four assists to lead the team in both categories.

Rice finished with 13 points for the Tigers, who were playing without starters Katelyn Haralamos and Enri Small and key reserve Karen Daniel-Hamberg due to injuries. As a result, sophomore Ali Miller (Cincinnati, Ohio/McNicholas) turned in 34 quality minutes in the post, finishing with six points, four rebounds and a whopping five blocked shots.