DePauw women miss the 59th win
It was an eventful weekend for both of DePauw University's basketball teams, as the men and women traveled to Ohio to take on the Battling Bishops of Ohio Wesleyan University.
DePauw's women were looking for their 59th straight victory, but were halted by the hot shooting Bishops.
Ohio Wesleyan raced out to an early nine point lead in the first half, after a 10-2. That made the score 20-11 with 12:13 to play in the first segment. The Battling Bishops would extend the lead to 15 with just over three minutes to play in the opening half.
However, DePauw wouldn't go down without a fight. The Tigers used a 15-3 run to cut the Battling Bishop's lead to three early in the second half.
Despite having the gap closed, Ohio Wesleyan managed to stay one step ahead of the Tigers, holding onto an eight-point lead with under six minutes to play in the contest.
However, the top ranked Tigers refused to lie down. DePauw took the lead for the first time in the game when a 14-1 run put them up by five with 1:22 left on the clock.
The Battling Bishops overcame the adversity well, not allowing the Tigers to score again. With six seconds left to play, Ohio Wesleyan took a 65-64 lead thanks to an offensive rebound that kept the play alive for the Bishops.
To add to the drama, Savannah Trees nailed a layup with two seconds remaining that would have given the Tigers a one point lead. Unfortunately, Alex Gasaway was called for a foul away from the play that negated the basket and gave Ohio Wesleyan the victory.
The disparity in field goal percentage was one of the reasons for the DePauw loss. The Tigers shot only 38.2 percent while Ohio Wesleyan converted on 54 percent of their attempts.
The loss dropped the women to 24-1 overall and ended DePauw's impressive 58 game winning streak.
"We have not lost confidence," said senior Ann Sarkisian. "We still haven't reached our potential, and now we have a chance to respond to a hard loss. Coming into this week, our team will prepare like we always do. Our confidence will come from that preparedness."
DePauw will still have a chance to defend their NCAC title when they open the conference tournament on Tuesday. The Tigers host the College of Wooster at 6 p.m.
Tigers men's basketball brings home the win
Just as the DePauw men needed every one of Adam Botts' 29 points last Wednesday night against Wabash College, they would need all eight points the guard scored on Saturday against the Battling Bishops.
After pulling away late in the first half, the Battling Bishops took a commanding ten-point lead into halftime. DePauw continued to struggle when the contest resumed, as it took them three minutes to make a field goal.
Senior Pat Haggin catalyzed DePauw's comeback. Haggin knocked down a huge three pointer with less than one minute to play that narrowed the deficit to one.
With eight seconds to play, Ohio Wesleyan's Dre White converted two free throws that gave the Battling Bishops a 63-61 lead.
Senior guard Michael Wilkison took the inbounds pass and fed Botts at the top of the key. Botts promptly nailed the game winning three-pointer, sending DePauw home with a 64-63 victory.
"I was just thinking that I need to get a good look at the basket and the shot felt good coming off my hand," said Botts after the game.
The Tigers head into Tuesday's NCAC tournament quarterfinal matchup with Wabash as the number two seed in the tournament. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.
"Going to [Ohio Wesleyan], we knew in order to be in this position we're in now, we had to win," said Wilkison. "We executed the game plan as coach laid out for us."
The past two games have not come easy for the Tigers. DePauw's overall margin of victory in their previous two games is a slim two points.
"We've had a lot of close games this year so we're used to it," Botts said, "but it's always great being on the winning side of those emotional games."
The conference tournament will be key for the Tigers who need a good showing if they are to secure a spot in the NCAA tournament and compete for a national title.