SpringfieldNewsSun.com

SPRINGFIELD — Gregg Hill didn't practice Tuesday, Feb. 19. He still felt sick Wednesday. There was a chance he wouldn't play against Wabash — but a slim one considering the circumstances.

Wittenberg really needed a win, and to win, it needs Hill.

"I think I was going to play regardless," Hill said.

Hill scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half, and his lay-up with 1:43 left broke a 61-61 tie in a game Wittenberg went on to win 69-63 at Pam Evans Smith Arena.

"I think I got into a little bit more of a rhythm and got a couple of good looks," Hill said. "Up until that point, Brandan Barabino and Kevin Murray and those guys were knocking down shots. It was time for me to step up and show up."

The victory snaps a two-game losing streak for the Tigers (16-8, 12-3 North Coast Athletic Conference). They lost at home last week to Ohio Wesleyan and on the road to Wooster.

Wittenberg has clinched a share of second place in the NCAC, but it still needs to win at Kenyon on Saturday to avoid dropping into a tie with Ohio Wesleyan. The Battling Bishops hold the tiebreaker over the Tigers.

At least the Tigers are headed back in the right direction, and that has a lot to do with Hill.

"He really sucked it up," Wittenberg coach Bill Brown said. "I'm really uneasy about him having played 28 minutes. It took him a little while to get in the rhythm of the game."

Murray and Barabino, Wittenberg's other top two scorers, also came through with 16 and 13 points, respectively.

Wittenberg trailed 32-22 in the first half, but it went on a 13-2 run that ended with Barabino's 3-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game at 34-34 at halftime.