A 6-0 run that took up the last half of the first period and stretched into the second helped Denison win its 10th North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Championship, defeating Wittenberg 14-10 on Sunday in Granville.  With the win, Denison will make its third-straight trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

The Tigers scored seven of the game's first 11 goals thanks to three scores from leading scorer Olivia Lash.  A pair of yellow cards on Wittenberg's Emily Wadds and Victoria Zysik put Denison at a two-player advantage.  After a foul, Denison's Halle Walsh converted the free-position shot, cutting the Tigers lead to 7-5.  Reid Hirschey followed with a goal off a pass from Lizzy Pellicane with 12:43 left in the first half.  Two more free-position goals by Claire Ludlow and Carol Allen gave Denison the lead.

With 2:50 to play in the first half, Colleen Muldoon weaved her way through traffic, scoring just outside the crease.  That sent the Big Red into halftime with a 9-7 lead.

The two teams played the first five minutes of the second period scoreless but Allen broke that streak with her third goal of the contest and the 153rd of her career.  Two quick goals by Wittenberg's Lash cut Denison's lead to 11-10 with 14 minutes to play.

The Big Red defense locked in down the stretch, forcing the Tigers to commit six turnovers, squashing any chance of a comeback.  DU's final score came from Pellicane on a free-position attempt with 5:03 to play.  Interceptions by Leah Israel with 2:34 left and Grace Gavula with 1:21 remaining clinched the championship.

Twenty-one turnovers and failing to control loose balls doomed the Tigers.  Denison nearly doubled up Wittenberg in ground balls, 31-16.  Jane Goodspeed had four ground balls and a team-high seven draw controls.  Emily Marlatt and Claudia Rafi also added four ground balls for Denison.

Gavula led the defense with three caused turnovers while Becca Jones played all 60 minutes in the cage, posting eight saves.

Lash scored six of Wittenberg's 10 goals.  Wadds scored twice while leading all players with nine draw controls.

Denison will take its 13-5 record into next weekend's NCAA Tournament.  The selection show will take place tonight (Sunday, May 8) at 9:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.