Ohio Wesleyan 83, Wittenberg 59

Feb. 11, 2009

Senior wing Kyle Miller (Delaware/Hayes) scored 7 points and senior wing Kyle Holliday (Van Wert) added 6 more as Ohio Wesleyan opened the game with a 22-0 burst and went on to defeat Wittenberg in North Coast Athletic Conference play on Wednesday at Branch Rickey Arena.

Freshman post Pat Pellerite (Olmsted Falls) kicked off the Bishop run with a lay-in 10 seconds into the game, and after a Tiger turnover, Holliday buried a 3-pointer to give Ohio Wesleyan a 5-0 lead.

Lay-ins by junior post Brent Pleiman (Russia), Pellerite, and Miller followed before senior wing Mitch Noggle (Dublin/Coffman), Miller and Holliday knocked down 3-pointers for a 22-0 Ohio Wesleyan lead with 12:25 left in the first half.

David Nowicki hit a 3-pointer to put the Tigers on the scoreboard with 11:54 left in the half, ending an 0-for-10 shooting slump with 4 turnovers for Wittenberg. Nowicki hit another 3-pointer just over a minute later to help the Tigers start to claw back into the game, and after a Kevin Murray jumper and free throws by Michael Cooper and Josh McKee, Wittenberg was within 35-24 with 1:28 left in the period.

Wittenberg closed to within 11 points on 3 occasions during the second half, but the Bishops had an answer each time.

A Pleiman jumper from the lane restored the lead to 13 points early in the second half, and after 3-pointers by McKee and Murray brought Wittenberg within 52-41 at the 12:15 mark, it was Noggle with a pivotal 3-pointer on Ohio Wesleyan's ensuing possession.

The Tigers cut the deficit to 56-45 on Cooper's jumper from the lane with 10:24 left, but just 11 seconds later, Noggle buried another 3-pointer to swing the momentum back to the Bishops. Noggle's 3-pointer jump-started an 11-0 Bishop run that also included another Noggle 3-pointer, a lay-in by freshman wing Tim Brady (Dublin/Jerome) and a 3-pointer from sophomore wing Dillon McBride (Medina) that gave the Bishops a 67-45 lead with 7:17 remaining, and after that point, Wittenberg would not come closer than 17 points.

Noggle led the Bishops with a career-high 20 points, going 7-for-9 from the field, including 5-for-7 from beyond the arc. Holliday finished with 17 points, and Brady added 11 points. Pellerite led the Bishops with 9 rebounds and junior guard Rob Gardiner (Dublin/Coffman) had a game-high 6 assists.

For Wittenberg, Nowicki led the way with 12 points and Murray finished with 11 points.

Box Score