Delaware, Ohio - DePauw used a 17-3 run bridging the two halves to pull away from host Ohio Wesleyan on the way to a 68-53 North Coast Athletic Conference win.

The Tigers, ranked 12th in the Division III Coaches' Poll and 13th by D3hoops.com, improved to 15-1 overall and 8-0 in the NCAC, while the Battling Bishops dropped to 9-7 overall and 5-2 in the conference. With its 12th straight win, DePauw took a two-game lead in the NCAC standings.

DePauw never trailed in the opening half and managed to stretch the lead to nine at 23-14 after Savannah Trees hit a couple of buckets and Lauren Abendroth scored on a layup. Ohio Wesleyan closed back to within four at 25-21 with 3:45 left in the opening half, but Emma Ondik buried a three to start a 9-0 run. The Tigers headed to the break with a 34-22 advantage.

The Battling Bishops opened the second half with a pair of free throws before the Tigers responded with eight straight as a pair of Trees three-point plays sandwiched an Abby Keller bucket to make it 42-24 with 18:01 left.

A later 12-2 stretch gave DePauw its biggest lead of the contest at 66-42. The hosts closed the game with an 11-2 run for the final 15-point margin.

Trees led all scorers with a season-high  24 including 16 in the second half, while Abendroth and Taylor Howard each added 11. Howard also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, while Ondik had three assists and Trees totaled three steals.

Taylor Dickson paced Ohio Wesleyan with 12 points while Kristin Henning chipped in 11 points and a team-high six rebounds. Sarah McQuade dished out four assists and finished with three steals.

The Tigers shot 42.9 percent for the game including 50 percent in the first half, while Ohio Wesleyan connected on 36.4 percent from the floor. The Tigers held a 43-29 edge on the boards and a 22-12 edge on points off of turnovers.

DePauw returns to the court on Saturday, January 24, when they travel to Wooster for a 1 p.m.NCAC contest.