ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Wittenberg University women's basketball made a triumphant return to the NCAA Division III Tournament, beating 20th-ranked Transylvania 80-73 in a first-round game played at Washington University thanks to a season-low nine turnovers and clutch shooting.
The win was Wittenberg's seventh in a row and 13th in the last 14 games to move the Tigers to 24-6 on the 2014-15 season. The Tigers advanced to the second round against either Spalding or Washington University at 7 p.m. (CST) Saturday, March 7, on the same court.
The win came in Wittenberg's first national tournament appearance since 2004, when the Tigers made a surprise run to the Round of 16 before losing to Scranton in a game hosted by Bowdoin. It came 11 years to the day after the Tigers' last NCAA Tournament victory, a 51-48 upset of Messiah on the road.
Transylvania led just once in the entire game, after scoring the first point of the game at the 18:47 mark on a free throw. But the Pioneers showed tremendous resilience throughout, rallying from a pair of 10-point deficits to push the Tigers to the end.
Over and over again, the Tigers showed a resilience of their own, however. The key was tremendous ball-handling as Wittenberg committed a season-low nine turnovers, including just four in the second half despite consistently facing full-court pressure.
By taking excellent care of the basketball, the Tigers gave themselves quality scoring opportunities and they cashed in, shooting 53.6 percent from the field in the second half and 49.1 percent overall. When Transylvania attempted to extend the game late by fouling in the backcourt, Wittenberg responded by knocking down their last eight free throws.
Senior Darbie Zirkle (St. Paris, Ohio/Graham) led Wittenberg with 21 points to go along with six rebounds and three assists. She was joined in double figures by senior Katelyn Haralamos (Maineville, Ohio/Kings) with 18 points and four assists and senior Enri Small (Columbus, Ohio/Columbus School for Girls) with 17 points and three rebounds.
Four other Tigers scored at least five points, including freshman Haley Dannemiller (Cleves, Ohio/Mother of Mercy), who gave Head Coach Sarah Jurewicz 13 valuable minutes off the bench in the post. She finished with seven points and eight rebounds before fouling out.
Wittenberg was outrebounded in the game 41-32, but over the final 10 minutes the Tigers actually held an advantage on the boards by three. As a result, the Pioneers' second-chance points were limited in the frantic closing moments.
Transylvania, which put four players in double figures while shooting 48.1 percent from the field, saw its season end with a 25-3 overall record after losing its last two games.