The Tigers’ season came to an abrupt end on Friday night after a loss to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.
The first quarter was not as action-packed as anticipated, but good back and forth play by both teams kept the lead margin very close throughout. When the first quarter came to a close, the Tigers trailed 15-11.
“We did not play our best and Stevens Point had a well rounded game,” said junior Claire Ryan.
The Tigers began to a let the close game slip away in the second quarter. However, although they trailed by seven points with two minutes remaining in the quarter, they were able to pull it back to a four-point deficit as the half came to a close. When the second quarter came to an end, the Tigers were losing 26-22.
The third quarter was by far the most eventful in the game. The Pointers surged out of the gate and quickly grabbed a firm hold of a ten-point lead. They continued this stretch of dominant play for the majority of the quarter, but not for the entirety of the quarter. Needing to dig deep to keep their season alive, the Tigers were able to pull themselves back into it and trailed by only four points as the third quarter came to close. When the third quarter ended, the Tigers were down 44-40.
The fourth quarter was fairly lopsided in the Pointers’ favor, as they were able to build upon their small lead early. They had an answer for every basket the Tigers had. Unfortunately, the wheels came off for DePauw with three minutes remaining. Playing in desperation mode, DePauw had to resort to fouling the Pointers on every one of their possessions. Although this usually serves as an effective strategy, the Tigers did not take into account that the Pointers would keep making free throws. As the deficit grew larger, the deflated Tigers watched their season slip away. When the final buzzer sounded, the scoreboard read 65-50 in favor of the Pointers.
“They were a well coached team and played well on their home floor,” Ryan said.
Maya Howard led the team in scoring with 14 points, followed by senior guard/forward Morgan Skordos and junior guard Claire Ryan, who finished the game with 10 points each.
“We missed some shots and defensive stops which ended up costing us a couple baskets and it was tough to come back from against a good team,” Ryan said.
Although the season ended on a low note, the Tigers have a lot to be proud of. They closed off the regular season on a nine game winning streak, they finished first in the NCAC Tournament and they advanced to the postseason for the 13th year in a row. They should hold their heads up high as they look forward to next year.