Sophomore forward Jack VandeMerkt extends for a contested layup against Kenyon College on Saturday, February 13 in Greencastle, Ind.
One would’ve hoped that senior Luke Lattner’s potential game-tying shot would’ve gone in, in a game that saw DePauw crawl back from eight points down.
Instead, DePauw’s comeback was forgotten as the senior’s jumper fell short, handing the Tigers (7-16, 3-13) their fourth straight loss on Saturday afternoon at Neal Fieldhouse.The Kenyon Lords (9-14, 6-10) defeated the Tigers 81-79.
“I thought I had a pretty good look at it,” said Lattner, who put the Tigers ahead with just over a minute left in regulation. “Coach drew up the play for me to make the shot…it just didn’t fall for me.”
This loss marks another break that head coach Bill Fenlon said his players couldn’t catch in what will be this team's first losing season since 2005.
“We’re used to winning around here, so we’re in unchartered waters [this season],” Fenlon said. “When things aren’t going your way, you can’t worry about the big picture, you can’t worry about your record. …You have to just focus on the task at hand… On every possession, what’s my job? What am I supposed to do? Because those are the things that add up to the results.”
Early in the game, DePauw’s efforts looked promising. The Tigers took a 41-36 lead into halftime. However, it quickly became a roller coaster ride the rest of the way.
Before the Tigers could score of the second half, Kenyon went on a 13-0 run that gave them a commanding 49-41 lead.
But the Tigers weren’t finished.
With key three-pointers from sophomore guard David Vogel and junior guard Nate Jahn, DePauw came within one point of tying the game. Lattner then put the Tigers ahead with a layup.
But the Lords followed through with a layup of their own from senior guard Tim Connolly, giving Kenyon a 81-79 lead, the final points of the game.
“The biggest things we need to work on are… helping each other out on defense, moving the ball a little bit more on offense and not having as many possessions where it’s just one pass and shot,” Vogel said.
Despite the loss, the Tigers turned in a string of strong individual performances, including sophomore forward Jack VandeMerkt with 16 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, and Lattner with 15 points, three rebounds and two assists.
Overall, Fenlon believes a lot of DePauw’s struggles have to do with mentality.
“I think when you’re not getting wins and you’re not getting the results that you want, you can have some confidence issues too,” Fenlon said. “I think we’ve just been really having a hard time putting 40 good minutes together.”
Fenlon also noted that the Tigers need to work on free throws. This is an area in which Kenyon beat the Tigers throughout the entirety of the game.
“If you look at the stats, we just put them on the free throw line all day long,” Fenlon said. “In the end, if you throw everyone else out, that got us.”
Knights sank 21 of their 27 free throws, while DePauw made just 10 of their 23.
“This is a really unforgiving league,” Fenlon said. “This league right now, the way it stands, everybody’s really good, and I mean everybody.”
The Tigers will close out the regular season against Wabash (13-10, 7-9) and Ohio Wesleyan (20-3, 13-3)-- teams that both defeated DePauw earlier in the season.
DePauw will face the Little Giants at home tomorrow at Neal Fieldhouse, with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.