Sophomore Emily Budde blows past a defender as DePauw trumped Wittenberg
56-46 in the NCAC quarterfinals Wednesday night.
SAM CARAVANA / THE DEPAUW
The second-seed Tigers defeated seventh-seed Wittenberg by a score of 56-46 in the quarterfinals of the NCAC Tournament on Tuesday.
The Tigers started off the game slow. They let up an early three-pointer that sparked an offensive fire in the Wittenberg squad. Wittenberg did not lose the lead for the entirety of the quarter. At the end of the first, the score stood at 18-10 in favor of Wittenberg.
The Tigers were able to claw their way back into this game in the second quarter. They held Wittenberg to zero points through the first six minutes of the second quarter. Their dynamic defense held Wittenberg to just five points in the entire quarter, allowing DePauw to finish off the half with a slim 26-23 lead.
“We had a rough first quarter,” junior forward Taylor Howard said at the conclusion of the first half, “but when we switched to zone in the second quarter that really disrupted their flow.”
This switch in defensive strategy played to the Tigers' advantage for the remainder of the game.
Maya Howard takers her time and focuses as she sinks a free throw on Wednesday night.
DePauw blew past Wittenberg 56-46 on their way to the NCAC semi-finals. SAM CARAVANA / THE DEPAUW
The third quarter was a hard-fought struggle for each team to get points on the board, as the defense for both teams held up very well. Wittenberg put up 12 points in comparison to the Tigers’ nine points, and, as a result, the teams headed into the fourth quarter fighting a tight 35-35 battle.
The Tigers' consistent fourth quarter performance is what really sets them apart from most of their NCAC competitors. DePauw's defense held Wittenberg to 11 points in the quarter, while their offense exploded to 21 points, propelling the Tigers to a hard-fought 56-46 victory.
Senior forward Abby Keller conceded that although it wasn’t the prettiest victory, it was definitely a sweet one.
“We struggled a bit in the first half,” Keller said, “but I'm proud of how we handled the difficult times and were able to get the win.”
Taylor Howard led the team in scoring with 16 points, followed by first-year guard Maya Howard and junior guard Claire Ryan, who finished the game with 13 points and eight points, respectively.
Speaking on what needs to improve before next game against Kenyon College, Sophomore guard Emily Budde put emphasis on focusing on the basic fundamentals.
“We just need to keep working on offensive execution,” she said, “because ball movement really works well, especially against a defensive team like Kenyon.”
With this victory, the Tigers advance to the semifinals of the NCAC Tournament, where they will play Kenyon at Denison University in Granville, Ohio. The Tigers have gone 1-1 against Kenyon this regular season, so it’ll be a toss up as to who gets the victory. Tipoff is scheduled for tonight at 6 p.m.