GAMBIER, Ohio – DePauw University (23-1, 15-0 NCAC) overcame several double-digit deficits en route to its 19th straight win on Saturday in a 61-49 victory over Kenyon College at Tomsich Arena. The victory secured the Tigers a North Coast Athletic Conference regular-season title and No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tourney.
Emily Budde scored 20 of her game-high 22 points in the second half while Maya Howard added 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting to go along a game-high six assists. As a team, the Tigers hit just 5-of-27 (18.5%) in the first half before rebounding in the second connecting on half of their 30 shots.
For Kenyon (18-5, 11-3) NCAC),
Sharon Hull sparked the team with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting and
Paige Matijasich registered 10 points and three rebounds. Additionally,
Jessica Gerber and
Lane Davis each tallied six points and seniors
Ifeoma Archimalo and
Griffin Tullis combined for nine points and 12 boards.
Things did not start off well for the Tigers. IN the first quarter alone, they went 0-for-12 while Kenyon hit 7-of-11 to build a 14-6 lead. Hull, Davis and Archimalo each scored four points for the Ladies while DePauw's six points all came at the free throw line.
In the second, Hull's three-point shooting pushed Kenyon ahead by double digits. The junior hit three-straight three-point shots to push the home team's lead to 27-16 with 1:07 left. By halftime, Kenyon led 27-18.
The Ladies ballooned their lead to 13 points three different times in the third. Back-to-back layups by Matijasich pushed Kenyon ahead 31-18 with 8:43 left and later, two free throws from Gerber moved the scoreboard to 35-22. Hull's turnaround jumper from the free throw line at 5:49 once again moved the Ladies up 13, this time by a 37-24 count.
After that though, ninth-ranked DePauw made a defensive switch to a matchup zone which caused Kenyon all sorts of issues. Trailing by 13, the Tigers went on a 16-3 run to tie the game at 40 with 1:13 left after a Budde jumper. DePauw hit 7-of-11 in that stretch while Kenyon shot 1-of-5. By the end of the quarter though, Kenyon went back in front as Matijasich drained a corner three.
In the fourth, DePauw held the Ladies to just 2-of-13 shooting and took the lead for good on another Budde three-pointer (46-43) with 6:14 left. Hull hit a tough three-point shot at 3:42 bringing the scoreboard to 50-47, however, the Tigers' defense was able to hold the lead the rest of the way.
Next on the schedule for the Ladies is a trip to The College of Wooster on February 14 at 6 p.m.
