GREENCASTLE, In. – DePauw University, ranked as high as No. 12 in the country, prevailed over Kenyon College 64-58 on Saturday in a high-profile, mid-season matchup between two of the top teams in the North Coast Athletic Conference.
 
The Tigers improved to 14-1 and 6-0 in the NCAC while the Ladies fell to 12-3 and 5-1 in league play.
 
Saturday's contest was close for nearly the entire duration before a run by DePauw in the fourth helped the home team earn its tenth straight victory.
 
First-quarter action saw a lead no greater than three points for either team. Maya Howard, the NCAC's third-leading scorer, hit a three-pointer to start the contest, and later, Claire Keefe hit a jumper with 3:28 left to bring the count to 11-8. In between those Tiger shots, Paige Matijasich scored to give the Ladies an 8-5 advantage. By the end of the period, the scoreboard was tied at 15.
 
In the second, the home team wound up outscoring Kenyon 14-8 and held the Ladies to just 3-for-14 shooting. Kenyon's defense kept things close, though, as the Tigers could only manage to go up six points. Heading into the locker room, DePauw led 29-23.
 
After the break, the Tigers maintained their lead and went up double digits for the first time. About midway through the period, Howard found Sydney Kopp for a three-pointer which moved the score to 40-29. Down their biggest margin of the game, the Ladies rallied back. A 10-1 run after that Kopp bucket got the Ladies to within a possession.
 
Ifeoma Archimalo scored five of those points while Matijasich and Jessica Gerber scored the rest.
 
Down by two, 41-39, the Ladies scored on two of their first three possessions in the fourth. Archimalo hit a layup and Gerber sank a three-ball pushing Kenyon back in front, 44-43. At the 5:09 mark, Matijasich scored her tenth point of the game and moved the Kenyon lead to 51-48 forcing a DePauw timeout.
 
That break in the action turned out to spark the Tigers who followed with a 14-2 run. Howard and Kopp combined to score 12 of those points including two free throws by Kopp with 41 seconds left moving the count to 62-53.
 
Gerber led the Ladies with a team-high 17 points while Archimalo added 13. Additionally, Matijasich tallied 12 and Sharon Hull chipped in with 10. On the other end, Keefe registered a game-high 19.
 
Next on the schedule for Kenyon is a road date on January 10 against Oberlin College, a team that is 8-4 and a perfect 6-0 in NCAC competition.