Angola, Ind. - The 13th-ranked Tigers overcame a seven-point deficit and held Trine scoreless over the final 2:20 on the way to a 68-66 win over the ninth-ranked Thunder. DePauw moved to 3-0, while Trine dropped to 2-1.
The game featured six ties and 12 lead changes with neither team leading by more than seven. The Thunder grabbed a 53-49 lead as the teams headed to the fourth period and they built it to seven after Cassidy Williams' layup made it 62-55 with 6:30 remaining.
Maya Howard's three-point play, Sydney Kopp's 3-point field goal and Howard's two free throws gave DePauw a 63-62 advantage with 3:37 left.
Trine regained the lead on Brandi Dawson's layup and extended it to 66-63 with 2:22 left on a pair of Dawson free throws after a DePauw turnover. Kopp's layup with 1:55 left and Claire Keefe's two free throws put the Tigers back in front, 67-66 with 1:33 left.
The Thunder missed a 3-pointer on their next possession, but a DePauw turnover gave the hosts the ball with just over 30 seconds remaining. After a DePauw foul, Trine couldn't connect on the offensive end and Kopp was fouled after the Tigers snagged the rebound. Kopp hit the second of two charity tosses to make it 68-66.
Trine called a timeout, but the DePauw defense came up big as Mya Shannon recorded a steal to secure the victory.
Howard scored a career-high 27 in the win, while Kopp added 19. The two combined to hit 8 of 10 from beyond the arc with Howard making all four as DePauw was 10 of 19 in 3-point shooting.
Dawson paced four Trine double-figure scorers with 17 followed by Montana Martin with 14, Katy Steers with 12 and Williams with 10.
The Tigers held a 32-17 edge on the boards and grabbed 13 on the offensive glass as Keefe led with nine. Natalie Kehrt and Keefe each had three assists for the Tigers with Dawson handing out four for Trine.
DePauw shot 45.1 percent for the game including 55.6 percent in the final period. The Thunder connected on 54.3 percent from the floor.
The Tigers return to action on Saturday, November 24, when they face 12th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan in the opening game of the Midwest Challenge hosted by Rose-Hulman. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.