Late Third Quarter Run Lifts Wittenberg to Win over #16 DePauw

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Springfield, Ohio - Wittenberg outscored 16th-ranked DePauw, 11-0, over the final 1:31 of the third quarter and never relinquished the lead in the fourth on the way to a 65-61 North Coast Athletic Conference win over the visiting Tigers. DePauw dropped to 15-4 overall and 9-1 in the NCAC, while Wittenberg dropped to 12-7 overall and 6-4 in conference play.

A first quarter that included 10 lead changes, saw DePauw lead 17-16 at its conclusion. DePauw expanded that margin to as many as eight points at 28-20 after Sydney Kopp's jumper with 3:15 left in the half. Wittenberg outscored the guests, 8-2, over the final 1:51 of the half to trim the DePauw lead to 30-28 at the intermission.

DePauw held a 42-37 advantage with 1:53 remaining in the third after Mya Shannon's 3-pointer. Wittenberg scored on each of its final four possessions of the period including three 3-pointers, while DePauw was 0-4 from the field with one turnover and the hosts took a 48-42 lead into the final quarter.

Wittenberg pushed the lead to as many as seven points early in the quarter before the teams were scoreless for a 4:28 stretch. DePauw's 8-2 run trimmed the Wittenberg lead to 53-52 with two minutes left.

The hosts extended the margin back to five on three occasions with the last coming at 63-58. Claire Keefe's 3-pointer closed the gap to 63-61, but Riley Culver's two free throws with five seconds left sealed the victory.

Kopp led all scorers with 25 points, while Maya Howard added 12 and a team-high six assists. Keefe and Shannon each added 11. Hayley Cange and Kopp each grabbed seven rebounds as DePauw held a 40-36 edge on the boards. 

Alex Kiess paced Wittenberg with 16 points followed by Kristie Kalis with 13 and a game-high 10 rebounds. Delaney Willims added 12 points and six assists.

DePauw shot 36.1 percent for the game to Wittenberg's 43.4 percent and the hosts knocked in 11 of 22 3-pointers to DePauw's 8 of 23. Wittenberg also outscored the Tigers from the line, 8-1.

The loss snapped DePauw's six-game win streak and its 26-game winning string in NCAC contests.

DePauw travels to Oberlin on Saturday, January 26, for a 1 p.m. contest.