The Wittenberg men's basketball team maintained its firm grip on first place in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) with a 79-72 victory over visiting Allegheny. That doesn't mean it was easy.
The Gators, currently in ninth place in the 10-team league, battled the Tigers from start to finish before dropping to 5-16 overall and 3-9 in the NCAC. Wittenberg remained two games ahead of Wooster with four to play, emerging from the tussle with the Gators with records of 17-4 overall and 11-1 in the conference.
Wittenberg led for all but 30 seconds of the game, but the largest lead the Tigers enjoyed was 15 points late in the first half. Over the final 20 minutes, the Gators whittled away at the Wittenberg advantage, closing to 71-70 on a three-pointer by Devone McLeod with 1:39 left in the game.
After a missed three-pointer, senior Josh McKee (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh) made the play of the game for the Tigers, pulling down the long rebound and drawing a foul. He knocked down both free throws and then senior Michael Cooper (Springfield, Ohio/South) stepped up defensively, forcing a turnover near midcourt that led to a McKee three-pointer with 33 seconds left that essentially put the game out of reach.
Balance has been a key for the Tigers all season, and once it was on display. Eleven Wittenberg players saw action in the game, and nine of them scored at least two points, while 10 of them pulled down at least one rebound. Four Tigers finished in double figures as sophomore Zack Leahy (Rossford, Ohio/Rossford) and McKee shared scoring honors with 15 apiece.
McKee added seven rebounds, while Leahy chipped in with four caroms and a pair of assists. Senior Clayton Black (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) contributed 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals to the cause, while Cooper finished with 13 points, three rebounds and two assists.
Wittenberg shot 48 percent from the field, including an outstanding 11-of-24 from three-point range. Allegheny was even better shooting, hitting 54 percent. But the Gators were just 1-of-4 from the free throw line, compared to 16-of-21 for the Tigers.