Denison got 14 points from Gretchen Staubach and another yeoman's effort from Jordan Holmes on the glass as the Big Red held on for a 46-42 win over Wittenberg on Saturday from Livingston Gym.  The win moves Denison into a tie for second place in the North Coast Athletic Conference at 7-4.

The DU defense was stingy as ever as they held the Tigers to just 15 points in the first half while forcing them to shoot 26 percent from the field.  With 9:05 to play in the second half, Wittenberg's Darbie Zirkle got her team to within two after a pair of free throws.

Denison would counter the Wittenberg run with a Mary Margaret Habel put-back after an offensive board.  At the other end, Holmes would notch one of her game-high seven blocked shots on a layup attempt by Katelyn Haralamos.  Denison's offense got out quickly and found Aubrey Rogers, who buried a 3-pointer from the corner, putting her team up 37-30 with 8:01 to play.

Wittenberg continued to hang around over the closing minutes of play, and with 21 seconds left, an 18-foot jumper by Haralamos got the Tigers to within two at 44-42.  Forced to foul in the back court to extend the game, Denison's Candise Love went to the free throw line and knocked down the pair, lifting DU to a four-point lead and the eventual final at 46-42.

Staubach led the Denison offense with 14 points off a 7-for-10 shooting performance in 27 minutes.  Holmes continues to be the defensive equalizer in the post for Sara Lee's squad.  She posted her 13^th double-double of the season after scoring 12 points off a 5-of-6 performance from the field.  She pulled down 17 rebounds, with 14 coming on the defensive end.  Holmes also chipped in seven blocked shots and three steals in 37 minutes.  Entering the week, Holmes led the nation in blocked shots per game (6.2 bpg) and was fourth in rebounds per game (14.3).

Wittenberg (10-8, 5-5 NCAC) was paced by Amber Rice's 13 points, nine rebounds and four assists in 37 minutes.  The Tigers finished the game 13-for-51 (.255) from the field and were 12-for-21 (.571) at the charity stripe.

Denison (15-5) was slightly better from the floor, going 19-for-56 (.339) and 5-of-8 at the free throw line.  Both teams committed 18 turnovers apiece and the Big Red held a slight 10-9 advantage in bench scoring.

The Big Red will hit the road on Wednesday (Feb. 5) for a 6 p.m. tip-off at Oberlin before returning to Granville on Feb. 8 for a home game against Wooster at 1 p.m.