The Wittenberg Tigers have made a habit of struggling to put games away, but all that matters is the end result. In their second-to-last 2011-12 regular season game, the visiting Tigers held on for a 56-55 victory DePauw to secure their first outright North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) championship since 2004.
Wittenberg, ranked 21st nationally and second in the Great Lakes Region, improved to 19-5 overall and 13-2 in the NCAC heading into Senior Recognition Day against Hiram. The two teams will square off at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, in Pam Evans Smith Arena.
DePauw lost for the second time in its inaugural NCAC campaign to Wittenberg, but just as the Tigers did in the first meeting between the two teams last month, DePauw made things extremely uncomfortable for the 2012 conference titlists. In that game, DePauw rallied late before losing 66-62.
The host Tigers jumped out to an 8-0 lead to start the game, and they led 16-7 with 10:57 left in the first half. Wittenberg responded with a 9-2 run over the next four minutes. By halftime, the visiting Tigers held a slim 28-26 edge.
DePauw hit the first shot of the second half, but senior Josh McKee (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh) answered with a three-pointer at the 19:04 mark. After the two teams traded baskets for the next six minutes, expanding a 41-40 lead to 50-41 on a triple by senior Michael Cooper (Springfield, Ohio/South) at the 6:53 mark.
However, from that point, the host Tigers nearly made it a memorable Senior Recognition Game in front of a rowdy home crowd. The lead was whittled by 56-55 on a three-pointer with 45 seconds remaining, and then McKee committed a turnover that set up a final defensive stand. Out of a timeout, the Wittenberg defense forced a shot similar to the one that Wooster's Xavier Brown hit to force overtime on Saturday. But this time, DePauw's Sean Hasely was denied by the defensive pressure of sophomore Zack Leahy (Rossford, Ohio/Rossford).
Cooper was the man of the night for the visiting Tigers, finishing with 22 points and 12 rebounds. It was the second double-double of his career, and the point and rebound totals were both one shy of his career-highs. He drilled six three-pointers in the game, two better than his previous collegiate best.
Senior Clayton Black (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) added 14 points and five boards, in the process moving into 24th place on Wittenberg's career scoring list. McKee added nine points and three assists.