Ellie Pearson was named the most oustanding player of the Final Four. Photo by Larry Radloff, d3photography.com More photos from this game

By Gordon Mann
D3sports.com

HOLLAND, Mich. -- Every sports movie has that moment where it looks bleak for the hero. The team falls behind, faces a seemingly insurmountable lead, and maybe even loses a game, before rallying to victory in dramatic fashion.

• Full coverage from women's Final Four
• Championship game photo gallery
• Title time No. 2 for Huffman, Tigers
• Trinity titlists celebrate 10-year reunion
• UW-SP talks about 2014 Final Four
• Huffman's reaction to title
• Pearson caps senior year with crown
• Women's All-America team

That moment won’t appear in any movie about the DePauw’s 2012-13 women’s basketball season. The Tigers entered the season ranked fourth, took over the top spot in the first poll of the regular season and never relinquished it. They basically didn’t let anyone else have a sniff of it.

DePauw finished its romp to the national championship with a 69-51 win over UW-Whitewater. The Warhawks were the regular season champions of arguably the toughest conference in the country. But they fell behind DePauw 25-5 in the first couple minutes, trailed by 17 at the half and got no closer than 11 the rest of the way.

DePauw’s victory in the title game was the last in an impressive line of dominating performances against great teams. The run started on Nov. 17 when the Tigers beat Wisconsin Lutheran, the eventual Northern Athletics Conference champions, by 22 points. Then DePauw dominated Illinois Wesleyan, the defending national champions, on their floor. Then they beat nationally ranked Babson by 24 points and Messiah by 14 on a neutral court. And they just kept rolling through the regular season, the postseason and right into the record books, setting the mark for victories in a single season of Division III women’s basketball (34).

So where was that team-defining obstacle, that crucial moment of adversity that makes for great drama?

When asked to identify it, coach Kris Huffman thinks for a moment, smiles and says, "Me. It was me."

"The most adversity we had is when Alex Gasaway went down," Huffman adds. "So we lose our leading scorer and our only scorer in the paint. To think what this team did, and what Alex did to come back so she could help us somewhat, is really remarkable to me."

Gasaway tore her anterior cruciate ligament in practice leading up to the NCAC playoffs. And her injury was not an insignificant loss. She was the Tigers’ leading scorer and third leading rebounder, and she finished the season as an All-American. When Gasaway went down in February, some of the burden shifted to senior Ellie Pearson and she carried it well. Pearson had nine points and 15 rebounds in the NCAC tournament final, the second game after Gasaway’s injury. "She said she was getting Alex’s rebounds, too," Huffman recalls.

Pearson is an aggressive forward who plays like a lot of the Tigers’ guards – head down and full steam toward the rim.  Everything about DePauw is quick. They are quick on defense, quick to box out and quick to the rim, even when they are moving without the ball.

Through the championship weekend, the Tigers aggressive play created open looks and second chances. If the Tigers didn’t make their first shot at the rim, they grabbed the offensive rebound and scored off that. On defense, the DePauw’s quickness stymied Williams’ motion offense and forced UW-Whitewater into 22 turnovers.

So, while losing Gasaway was a blow, the Tigers didn’t miss a beat and continued to beat up their opponents. Pearson says her role didn’t change after Gasaway’s injury, but her outlook did. "She’s an inspirational person and it really inspired me. I just think I’ve been playing with a little extra edge for her because she deserved it more than anyone out there."

DePauw’s roll continued right through the NCAA Tournament and over the same Washington U. team that lost to the Tigers by one early in the season. In the rematch DePauw led from tip to finish, had a 23-point advantage in the second half and held the Bears to their lowest scoring total of the season. After beating Christopher Newport in the section final, DePauw hit a small speed bump when it fell behind Williams by eight late in the first half. But Pearson hit a jumper, the guards forced turnovers and the Tigers scored eight straight points to put their express train to the title back on schedule.

For her efforts, Pearson took home the tournament’s most valuable player honors. She was joined by senior floor general Kate Walker on the all-tournament team. Ali Ross provided tight man defense and long range jumpers throughout the championship weekend, including a 3-pointer that fueled the game-deciding run against Williams. Savannah Trees’ soft, smooth jumper was the perfect complement to the rest of Tigers’ full throttle attack. Even Gasaway contributed, despite her major injury, with a jumper and a turnaround in the lane to squelch a mini-rally by UW-Whitewater.

So that brings us back to the Tigers' "adversity,"  Huffman. Truthfully, she is the foundation of the DePauw basketball program that, with two national championships in seven years, is now firmly among the nation’s elite. Year after year, Huffman builds a conference champion – whatever conference the Tigers are in – and she built a deep, dominating team that plowed through the competition this season.

She also built a special bond with her players. Late in DePauw’s victory against UW-Whitewater, Huffman was still giving directions to Ross and Trees who were standing in the backcourt while a teammate shot a free throw. Ross nodded to her coach to show she understood and smiled in a way that told Coach Huffman to relax and enjoy the moment. Huffman smiled back.

"All three seniors have such an amazing relationship with Coach. She’s more than just a coach to all of us," says Walker. "She’s almost like my mother at DePauw. It’s not just basketball with Coach. It’s everything. She actually loves us."

And so did the DePauw fans.  The student section serenaded the players first and then Huffman in the game’s closing minutes and she acknowledged them in appreciation.  For Huffman and the Tigers, it was the perfect end to a perfect season.

DePauw Tigers, 2013 Division III women's basketball national champions. Photo by Larry Radloff, d3photography.com