Box Score
Ohio Wesleyan 61, Wittenberg 48

Senior guard Kasey Schipfer (Mechanicsburg) scored 5 points and junior post Alyssa Griner (Delaware/Hayes) added 4 more during a 13-2 third-quarter run that put third-seeded Ohio Wesleyan ahead to stay, and Griner added 4 more points during an 8-0 burst that opened up the Bishops' biggest lead of the game as Ohio Wesleyan defeated second-seeded Wittenberg in a North Coast Athletic Conference tournament semifinal contest on Friday in Greencastle, Ind.

With the win, Ohio Wesleyan advances to the NCAC tournament championship game to face top-seeded DePauw, a 76-69 winner over fourth-seeded Denison in Friday's other semifinal.  The tournament championship game is scheduled to tip off at 4 p.m. on Saturday, with the NCAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament going to the winner.

Wittenberg had taken a 33-32 lead on a 3-pointer by Jade Simpson with 6:27 left in the third quarter.

Junior post Karlee Ross (Beverly/Fort Frye) put the Bishops ahead with a lay-in, and Schipfer followed with a lay-in.  After a steal by freshman post Macy Miller (Marysville/Fairbanks), Schipfer grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled, sinking the second of 2 free throws.  Schipfer then stole the ball back and scored on the fast break to cap a burst of 5 points in 28 seconds.  Griner followed with jumpers on consecutive possessions, and Miller finished off the 13-2 run with a jumper from the lane that gave Ohio Wesleyan a 45-35 lead with 2:03 to play in the period.

An Evie Wolshire 3-pointer brought the Tigers within 45-38, and Wittenberg was still within 47-40 during the opening minute of the fourth quarter, but Ohio Wesleyan kept Wittenberg off the scoreboard for nearly 4 minutes while the Bishop post players extended the lead, with Ross hitting a jumper, Griner knocking down a pair of jumpers, and Miller again finishing off the run, this time an 8-0 sprint that opened up a 55-40 lead at the 6:21 mark.

The Tigers closed to within 59-48 on a pair of free throws by Jazmyn Gaines-Burns with 2:18 remaining, but Wittenberg would not score again.

Wittenberg had taken an early 12-8 lead on a Mckenna Baker 3-pointer, and the Tigers led, 18-15, after the first quarter.  Consecutive 3-pointers from senior guard Lauren Denison (Pataskala/Watkins Memorial) midway through the period turned a 3-point deficit into a 3-point lead, and the Bishops would not trail during the remainder of the first half.

Schipfer led the Bishops with 22 points and 11 rebounds, recording her ninth double-double of the season.  Griner added 14 points and senior point guard Elizabeth Homan (Cincinnati/Anderson) registered 9 assists.

Box Score