Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: Sports

Sophomore wing Michael Cooper (31) goes up for a shot during the game.

Media Credit: Kali Parmley Senior Mark Snyder (55) looks to throw down over a Wooster defender.

The Wittenberg Tiger men's basketball team came out to a roaring start on the night of Saturday, Jan. 23, but lost momentum and fell short to rival Wooster by a score of 65-56.

The Wittenberg Tigers have now lost four straight to the Scots.

"It was a tough one to lose, especially after we got off to such a good start," said Chris Sullivan, starting junior guard for the Tigers. "We had trouble stopping their go-to-guy, they hit some big shots down the stretch, and we shot pretty poorly from the free throw line. It will be tough, but I think we can beat them at their place in a few weeks."

The loss brings the Tigers to a record of 13-4 overall and 5-3 in the NCAC. The Scots improved their record to 13-3 overall and 8-0 in the conference.

The Tigers came out with a 16-5 lead early on in the first eight minutes of the game, but couldn't find much offensive rhythm from that point on. The Wooster offense caught fire quickly and gained a five-point lead by halftime.

The Tigers regained focus in the second half, tying up the game at 44. Soon after though, the Scots hit three three-pointers in a row, pulling ahead by what proved to be too much for the Tigers to overcome.

Sullivan led the way for the Tigers with a team high of 18 points, along with seven rebounds and a steal. Senior point guard David Nowicki added nine points, five rebounds and two assists.

For the Scots, it was Ian Franks who provided the majority of the offense, with 22 points. Justin Hallowell contributed 13 points, along with 12 rebounds. Matt Fegan rounded out the Scot offense by adding 10 points off the bench for the Scots.

Wooster shot 42 percent from the field, along with 9 for 27 from beyond the arc, while Wittenberg only shot 34 percent from the field, and 10 for 29 from behind the arc. Wooster took advantage of Wittenberg's mistakes, hitting 13 of 16 shots from the charity stripe, whereas Wittenberg only connected on 4 of 11 attempts. Wooster also slightly edged out Wittenberg in the rebounding column, 39-37.

"Down by four late in the second half, we had multiple chances to cut into their lead and win the game but the shots just didn't fall," said Jimmy Colloton, student assistant coach. "Lucky for us we have a bunch of games left, including another one at Wooster."

The Tigers look to get back on track when they face Ohio Wesleyan this Saturday, Feb. 6 at 4:00 p.m.

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