Men’s Basketball hosted their home opener in Neal Fieldhouse on Wednesday, November 6th, where they kicked off their season against the Anderson Ravens, losing 63-79.
The game began as a back and forth battle of physical defense and simple offense. Both teams were rarely turning over the ball and getting a high volume of shots. DePauw ran their most successful offense from passes down low, which led to cutting layups or passes out for three-pointers. The Tigers kept up with the Ravens by grabbing
offensive rebounds, beating Anderson by five in that category. However, early fouls and turnovers had DePauw down 42-35 at halftime.
The second half saw a reverse in the trends of the first. DePauw’s issues came from turning the ball over, where Anderson capitalized with plenty of transition points. DePauw was able to find some buckets in the mid-range and the paint, with some highlight plays to boot. Forward Reph Stevenson ‘27 threw down a monstrous dunk through contact for a major three-point play, and Guard Ronald Johnson ‘25 nailed a last second three-pointer, but ultimately, the defense and transitional play from Anderson put the game out of reach.
Despite the loss, the Tigers look promising going forward. After stepping up to end last year, Sam Jacobs ‘26 looks to lead the team. Returners like Grant Niego ‘24, Camden Brown ‘25, and Ronald Johnson ‘25 had strong performances, and encouraging signs from Reph Stevenson ‘27 and Brady Kunka ‘27 give an outlook for growth early.
The Tigers will be away for the rest of November. Their next home appearance will be on Dec. 6 against Wittenberg.