PHOTO COURTESY OF DEPAUW UNIVERSITY
The DePauw women’s basketball team sealed a first place finish in the NCAC tournament with victories over Kenyon and Allegheny this weekend.
The Tigers’ semifinal game against Kenyon was closely fought throughout. Kenyon hit a clutch layup with 10 seconds left in the game to take the lead. Needing a miracle in the closing seconds, the Tigers shuffled the ball to sophomore guard Emily Budde, and she hit the game winning shot as time expired. As a result, the Tigers grabbed a 59-58 victory and headed into the NCAC tournament final against Allegheny on Saturday.
Winning in the final seconds of the semifinal is something out of a dream for junior guard Lex Gaumer.
“You always dream about shooting that shot or seeing that shot,” she said. “It was just an incredible moment.”
Saturday’s game against Allegheny really wasn’t any different of a result than both times the Tigers played them during the regular season. Allegheny just couldn’t hold the game close, and it got out of hand fast.
From the very beginning of the game, the Tigers held a significant advantage over Allegheny. They outmatched them offensively, and their defense held stagnant as well. The first half saw the Tigers put up 22 points in each quarter. Meanwhile, Allegheny could not muster more than 12 points in either quarter. The Tigers walked off the court at the end of the half with a monstrous 44-23 lead.
The second half was no different. Already leading by by a mighty 21 points after the first half, the Tigers were able to pick up the pace once more and rack up another 39 points on the half. When the final buzzer sounded, the Tigers had capped off an impressive 83-53 victory.
This was one of the most dominant performances the Tigers turned in all season.
”I honestly believe this was one of our best games of the season,” Gaumer said.
For the Tigers, this tournament win will propel them into the postseason for the 13th consecutive year. Hoping to to overcome last year’s loss in the tournament semifinal, the Tigers will look forward to March 5, where they will play the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in the first round of the Division III Women’s Basketball Tournament.
Speaking on what they need to do moving forward, Gaumer was confident that they are already doing exactly what they need to be doing.
“We just need to continue playing within ourselves and play our game,” she said. “When we play our game, we are very hard to beat.”