Senior Morgan Skordos dribbles past a Kenyon player on Saturday, February 13 in Greencastle, Ind. REBECA BAGDOCIMO / THE DEPAUW
The Tigers picked up their fifth straight victory on Saturday with a 52-39 win over conference rival Kenyon College (15-8).
The first quarter was fairly uneventful. The Tigers took hold of a small lead halfway through, but Kenyon’s resilient attack got them back into the game by the end of the quarter. At the end of the first quarter, the Tigers held a 16-12 lead.
The second quarter saw much more action than the first. The Tigers pushed their lead to nine points midway through the quarter. The Tigers never let up and remained dominant for the remainder of the quarter. They concluded the first half with a lead of 29-18.
Both teams held their own in the third quarter. The two offenses were in sync and both were putting up points. However, one was never able to dramatically outmatch the other. While the Lords managed to put 12 points on the board, the Tigers' 11 points allowed them to maintain their lead.
Heading into the fourth quarter, the Tigers held a 10 point advantage.
While both teams were performing at an even level in the fourth quarter, Kenyon could not manage to overcome the scoring deficit. The Tigers were persistent in their offensive attack and put up 12 points to Kenyon’s eight. As a result, the Tigers grabbed a 52-39 victory.
First-year guard Maya Howard led the team in scoring with 16 points, followed by junior guard Claire Ryan and junior forward Taylor Howard, who finished the game with 11 points and eight points, respectively.
Senior guard Jenna Stoner noted that the Tigers' second half performance was much better than the first. She said the team was increasingly consistent with offensive attacks, while also holding more control defensively.
Stoner credits this second half improvement to the team’s overall discipline with sticking to its strategies.
“Once we figure out what is working for us throughout the game, we stick to that game plan and execute it,” she said.
In addition to their five-game winning streak, the Tigers have now won eight of their last nine games, firmly holding on to second place in the NCAC rankings with a record of 18-6. The ladies’ final regular season game will be this Saturday against Ohio Wesleyan. DePauw looks to dominate the conference opponent for the second time this season after defeating the Battling Bishops 69-48 in January.
Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Ohio Wesleyan’s home court.