DePauw used a 10-0 run over a two-minute stretch of the second half and pulled away from Birmingham-Southern on the way to a 68-39 win in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference opener for both schools.
The Tigers, ranked eighth in the latest USA Today/ESPN Division III Coaches' Poll and 11th by D3hoops.com, improved to 4-1 on the year, while the Panthers dropped to 3-2.
The first half was a defensive struggle, with the teams combining for just 13 points in the opening 10 minutes of play. Katie Mathews and Katie Aldrich jump started the Tiger offense near the end of the half, as DePauw took a narrow 21-19 advantage into halftime. DePauw shot 36 percent from the field in the first half, while the Panthers connected on 3-of-9 from behind the arc.
DePauw opened the second half with a trey by Kate Walker and back-to-back buckets by Kate Aldrich to take a nine-point lead. The Panthers closed the gap to two, but the Tigers scored 10 straight including a pair of threes from Lauren Goff. Goff was 4-for-4 from behind the arc in the second half.
The Panthers cut the lead to nine with 12:25 remaining on a pair of free throws by Katelyn Wilson, but Goff would answer with another trey, followed by a Mathews jumper to give DePauw a 45-31 advantage. The visitors responded with a bucket, but the Tigers scored seven straight to push the lead to 19. DePauw's defense limited the Panthers to just three points over the game's final eight minutes.
Aldrich led all scorers with 14 points, while Goff and Mathews added 12 each. Pearson and Walker recorded nine points each, while Pearson grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds. As a team, DePauw shot 60 percent from the floor in the second half, and finished the game 5-for-7 from beyond the arc.
Wilson paced Birmingham-Southern with 11 points and four boards, while Sam Davidson added nine points. The Panthers posted 27.3 percent shooting from the floor during the contest.
The win was the Tigers' 55th consecutive SCAC home victory
DePauw returns to action on Sunday when it hosts Rhodes at Noon. Birmingham-Southern travels to Centre on Sunday for a Noon contest.