Meadville, Pa. - Top-ranked DePauw shot 56 percent from the floor in the first half in building as much as a 28-point lead and the Tigers held on for a 73-56 North Coast Athletic Conference win at Allegheny.

DePauw improved to 11-0 overall and 2-0 in the NCAC, while the Gators dropped to 7-5 overall and 1-2 in conference play. 

The Tigers trailed early, but used a 16-2 run over a 3:27 stretch to take an 18-6 advantage. A 17-2 rally later in the half pushed DePauw's lead to 46-18 and the Tigers headed to the locker room leading 46-23 after shooting 56.3 percent (18-32) from the field and knocking down 4-8 three-pointers.

Allegheny chipped away at the Tigers' lead and got as close as 11 in the final two minutes, but DePauw scored the game's final six points.

Savannah Trees paced DePauw with 17 points, while Ali Ross added 14 and Alex Gasaway 11. Alison Stephens posted her third straight double-digit rebounding effort with 13 as the Tigers held a 46-43 edge on the boards.

Emma Pellicano led Allegheny with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

DePauw shot 42.9 percent for the game after hitting just 29 percent in the second half, while the Gators finished at 37.3 percent for the contest and were just 2-of-19 from three-point range and 4-of-13 from the free throw line.

The win was DePauw's 45th straight which is now the fourth longest in NCAA Division III women's basketball history. It also marked the Tigers 64th straight regular season victory and 42nd consecutive in conference play (34 in NCAC, 8 in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference).

The Tigers wrap up the NCAC weekend tomorrow afternoon when they travel to Hiram for a 2 p.m. contest.