A win is a win.
That was the motto for the Tigers after Wednesday's victory over the winless Earlham College Quakers (78-74). DePauw fought back from a first half deficit, carried by Ball State University transfer junior forward Barry Flynn's career high 25-point outburst that gave the Tigers their fourth win of the season.
"It was the people who where making the shots for me," Flynn said. "The guards off the pick and roll, they see my man collapsing on me and they give the ball to me in great position."
The Tigers (4-1) and the Quakers (0-6) are both perimeter-oriented teams, each showcasing forceful presences on the low blocks.
The Quakers came out with a stifling zone defense, forcing the Tigers to take shots deep within the key. Earlham took an early 30-27 lead in the first half aided by Marcus Bledsoe's tenacious rebounding and perimeter shooting from guard Josh Green, who shot 3-4 from 3-point territory.
"Some of the things at halftime we were stressing in the locker room were getting back on defense, boxing out and rotation as the ball swings. We lost sight of that," Flynn said. "They hit some threes. We gave them too much room beyond the arc."
At halftime, the Tigers were winning 41-30, and it appeared that they had started to formulate a game plan against the guard-oriented Quakers' attack. Earlham's Colton Bragg began hitting open looks in the second half and Earlham held the edge in turnover scoring 13-6 to get back in the game. With 7 minutes, 20 seconds left, the Quakers trailed by only six.
Sophomore point guard Michael Wilkison responded to the Quakers upbeat tempo with a key second half, converting six straight free throws to extend the Tigers' lead to 69-58 with 4:20 remaining.
DePauw committed turnovers and forced bad shots at the end of the game but held on against a scrappy Earlham squad 78-74.
"[Against Earlham] our energy level wasn't where it needed to be defensively, and we had trouble rebounding the ball," said head coach Bill Fenlon. "We have a lot of young guys that have not played a lot. We need them to raise their activity level. I want our look to be more positive, supporting each other more."
The Tigers also need to develop their post presences, an area that Fenlon and Flynn have confidence will develop during the season.
"Both [Tommy] Fernitz and [Camron] Burns have all the tools necessary to help our team," Flynn said. "Just as I will progress, Camron and Tommy will get better and better which in the long run will make our team more versatile to have some bigger men down low to get the job done."
The Tigers will compete in their first official NCAC road matchup against Kenyon College (2-3) in Gambier, Ohio on Saturday.
"[Kenyon head coach] Dan Priest does a great job," Fenlon said. "They are pretty good defensively and offensively. On the road we have our work cut out for us."
Saturday's NCAC matchup against Kenyon will be broadcasted live on 91.5 WGRE with tipoff set for 3 p.m.