Senior wing Will Orr scored 9 points and sophomore post Grant Gossard added 7 more as Ohio Wesleyan erased a 19-point first-half deficit and went on to defeat fifth-ranked Wittenberg in North Coast Athletic Conference action on Wednesday at Branch Rickey Arena.

After the Bishops tied the game at 10 on a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Jaret Gerber, Wittenberg reeled off 19 consecutive points, with James Johnson scoring 10 of those.  The final bucket, a lay-in by Chad Roy, gave the visitors a 29-10 lead with 9:45 left in the first half.

Orr started the Bishop comeback with a pair of lay-ins followed by a 3-pointer from senior guard Seth Clark to pare the deficit to 12 points.  Wittenberg countered with a 3-point play from Roy, but Ohio Wesleyan responded with a 17-1 run that included 3-pointers by Gerber and Orr, 7 consecutive points by Gossard, and a layin from senior guard Nate Axelrod before Orr drove for a lay-in that gave the Bishops a 34-33 lead with 1:35 left in the half.

Axelrod beat the first-half buzzer with a drive to the hoop that put Ohio Wesleyan up, 38-37, at the break.

Orr opened the second-half scoring with a jumper from the lane and a 3-pointer, and the Bishops would lead for most of the period.  The Tigers would lead 3 times during the second half, twice by a single point and once when Connor Seipel's lay-in give Wittenberg a 65-63 advantage with 9:10 left in regulation time.

With the score tied at 76, Clark converted a 3-point play with 3:36 remaining, and Axelrod drove for a lay-in to make it a 5-point game with 2:41 to go.

The Tigers would close to within 81-78 on a pair of Johnson free throws, but Gossard maneuvered for a key lay-in for an 83-78 lead with 1:10 left.

Roy responded with a lay-in on the other end, and the Tigers were able to get the stop they needed to get the ball back with a chance to tie, but Johnson's 3-pointer was off the mark and the Bishops got the defensive rebound.  Axelrod sealed the outcome with a pair of free throws with :04.5 to play.

Axelrod led the Bishops with 22 points and 4 assists.  Clark, Orr, and Gossard finished with 14 points apiece.  Orr led the Bishops with 9 rebounds, establishing a career best for the second consecutive game.

Roy led Wittenberg with 24 points.