The DePauw women's basketball team wrapped up a successful weekend with an unbeaten streak and a regular season North Coast Athletic Conference championship. In just their first season in the conference, the Tigers defeated Hiram College 85-43 on Saturday to claim the NCAC regular season trophy.
This conference championship marks the third time in three years that DePauw has won its conference. The victory marked head coach Kris Huffman's 13th conference title in her 19 seasons at DePauw.
The Tigers, ranked 5th in the latest USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll and sixth by D3Hoops.com, stand at 20-1 overall. They are also the proud owners of a perfect conference record, going 13-0 in the NCAC.
DePauw's conference title also cements a number one seed for the NCAC Tournament. The eight-team tournament begins in February and the winner earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
DePauw started the weekend with a resounding 80-45 win over visiting Allegheny College. Continuing the season trend, the Tigers found themselves in a tight game throughout the first half, but DePauw's pace and endurance proved too much for the Gators.
Good defense in the second half killed off any scent of a Gator revival, as DPU held their opponents scoreless for almost 11 minutes. The game offered a chance for many players to grab some valuable minutes, of which they took advantage. Fifteen players scored during the game.
Saturday's game against Hiram began similarly to their previous contest. The game remained closely contested through much of the first half before DePauw senior Katie Aldrich and sophomore Ali Ross hit a couple of key baskets to boost morale and tempo. With an invigorated spirit, the lady tigers took a 39-22 lead into the halftime talk.
The second half saw DePauw kick into gear and a pair of double-digit runs by the Tigers finished off any hopes for a comeback from the Hiram hopeful.
Aldrich led the team in points with 20 going 8 for 10, while Ross contributed 18, including four 3- pointers. Freshman Savannah Trees added 10 points. Junior Ellie Pearson also played a big role, pulling down a team high eight rebounds, assisting six times and stealing four.
The win notched DePauw's 70th home conference win, 63 from games in the SCAC. The Tigers now get a well-deserved break before resuming gameplay in the NCAC post-season tournament on Saturday at Oberlin College.