Tigers Bounce Back To Beat Case Western In Tourney Finale
Inspired by senior Kiley McCollough, Wittenberg finds offensive rhythm to pull away for 24-point victory.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
21 | 32 | 53 |
|
|
40 | 37 | 77 |
Team Stats
Case Western
| Game Statistics | Case Western | Wittenberg |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (20-51) | (28-58) |
| Field Goal % | 39.2% | 48.3% |
| Rebounds | 24 | 43 |
| Assists | 11 | 21 |
| Turnovers | 21 | 20 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 11 | 21 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 2 | 21 |
| Pts in the Paint | 30 | 20 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 4 | 6 |
| Bench Pts | 12 | 37 |
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - It was gut-check time for the Wittenberg women's basketball team. Head Coach Sarah Jurewicz was pleased with her team's response as the Tigers put together their most complete performance of the season in a 77-53 victory over Case Western in the final game of the 2013 Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Classic.
A day after a second consecutive frustrating offensive performance in a 57-50 loss to Earlham, Jurewicz shuffled the Tigers' line-up and saw immediate results. Wittenberg hadn't scored more than 49 points in a game since Nov. 30, but the Tigers improved to 6-4 on the season with a 48 percent shooting performance and a dominating 43-24 rebounding advantage.
Case Western, which defeated Brescia on the tournament's opening day, fell to 6-5 on the season.
Wittenberg broke open a tight game over the final 10 minutes of the first half, turning a 15-13 edge into a 40-21 halftime lead. The lead grew to as many as 26 points in the second half, with the final points coming from a three-pointer by senior Kiley McCollough (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) with 26 seconds remaining.
It was a fitting finale for McCollough, who made the most of her first and only collegiate starting assignment. Hampered by knee injuries throughout her career at Wittenberg, McCollough will have another season-ending surgery in early January. But for 18 tremendous minutes on center court in Pam Evans Smith Arena, McCollough turned in an inspired performance, finishing with eight points, three assists and four rebounds.
Her fellow senior, Amber Rice (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern), matched a career-high in scoring with 24 points. She finished 7-of-14 from the field, including a sizzling 6-of-10 from three-point range and 4-of-6 from the free throw line. She also contributed four assists and four rebounds.
Rice was joined on the all-tournament team by junior Heather Schroeder (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora). All she did was pour in a career-high 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line to go along with three rebounds and three assists.
Also of note was the play of junior Katelyn Haralamos (Maineville, Ohio/Kings) with 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals off the bench.