Tigers escape 17-point hole to beat OWU

McKee’s three quick 3-pointers late in first half turn game around.

Wittenberg's Clayton Black dunks during Wednesday's game against Ohio Wesleyan at Pam Evans Smith Arena in Springfield. The Tigers won 66-58. Staff Photo by Barbara J. Perenic

Barbara Perenic Wittenberg's Clayton Black dunks during Wednesday's game against Ohio Wesleyan at Pam Evans Smith Arena in Springfield. The Tigers won 66-58. Staff Photo by Barbara J. Perenic

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By David Jablonski, Staff Writer 11:32 PM Wednesday, February 1, 2012

SPRINGFIELD — Clayton Black described it as a fight-or-flight scenario.

The Wittenberg University senior post looked up at the scoreboard to see the Tigers trailing Ohio Wesleyan 30-13 with under 4 minutes remaining in the first half Wednesday. At that point, they had to decide whether to tuck their tail between their legs and call it a night or, as Black said, “dig down and take it as far we can.”

Wittenberg chose the latter response, turned the game around in rapid fashion and controlled the second half, winning 66-58 to protect its two-game lead in the North Coast Athletic Conference. It’s the Tigers’ 15th straight victory against an NCAC opponent at Pam Evans Smith Arena.

The game turned on three straight 3-pointers by Josh McKee in the final 90 seconds of the first half. The Tigers trailed 32-18 with 2:07 to play, but just 34-27 at halftime.

“That launched us forward,” said Black, who had 18 points and nine rebounds. “The hole would have been so much bigger, and those holes are hard to get out of. It’s very rewarding if you can manage to pull it out like that.”

The Tigers (16-4) scored 14 points in the first 17 minutes. McKee was playing as poorly as anyone. He had three of the team’s 11 first-half turnovers.

“Our head wasn’t in it. I know my head wasn’t in it,” said McKee, the senior wing from Tecumseh. “I’m a little bit of a hot head sometimes. I can admit it. I was just getting frustrated.

“Coach (Bill) Brown did a pretty cool thing. He talked to me, calmed me down, told me to control my emotions and that they believed in me.”

The Tigers opened the second half on an 8-1 run and then took the lead for good with 13:05 to play. Ohio Wesleyan shot 2-of-22 from 3-point range and 29.4 percent from the field.

“We played a lot of zone,” Brown said, “and they haven’t been the greatest perimeter-shooting team. We gave up some shots in the middle, but people aren’t used to shooting with people on both sides of them.”

Wittenberg improved to 10-1 in the NCAC. Ohio Wesleyan fell to 15-5 and 7-4. The Battling Bishops share third place with Wabash (15-5, 7-4), which beat DePauw on Wednesday.

Lurking alone in second place is seven-time defending champion Wooster (17-3, 8-3). Five games remain in NCAC play. With each victory, the Tigers inch closer to their first regular-season championship in seven years.

“We can’t be any happier to be in this spot, but we still realize it’s a long haul to the end,” Black said. “Wooster is a constant reminder. Whether they’re before us or behind us, they’re constantly on our minds.”

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