Greencastle, Ind. - DePauw's defense came up big again as the top-ranked Tigers limited visiting Wittenberg to just 26.5 percent shooting on the way to a 59-38 North Coast Athletic Conference victory.
The Tigers improved to 15-0 overall and 6-0 in the NCAC, while Wittenberg dropped to 8-6 overall and 3-3 in the NCAC. DePauw extended its overall win streak to 49 straight and its regular season string to 68.
Wittenberg came out strong with Taylore Bundy hitting a three just 14 seconds into the contest and Katelyn Haralamos adding a bucket to give the guests a 5-0 lead in the opening minute.
DePauw scored the next nine and never trailed again. Wittenberg was within one at 11-10, but the Tigers got hot with Emma Ondik completing a three-point play and Hannah Douglas knocking down a trey to make it 17-10. Savannah Trees capped the 13-0 run with a three-pointer and jumper to extend the hosts' lead to 24-10 with 5:06 left in the half.
Douglas nailed a three-pointer at the horn to send DePauw to the intermission with a 33-12 lead. The host Tigers held Wittenberg to just 19 percent shooting in the half while connecting on 54.5 percent themselves. Additionally, DePauw held Wittenberg to just two free throws over the last 12:39.
DePauw led by as many as 30 in the second half before Wittenberg scored the game's final nine points.
Douglas, who notched her DePauw high with 16 last Saturday, led all scorers with 17 and hit 6-of-7 field goals. Alex Gasaway added 12 and dished out three assists and became the 14th player in DePauw history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Trees added 11 points with Gasaway and Alison Stephens each grabbing six rebounds. Stephens blocked a pair of shots and totaled four steals.
Amber Rice paced Wittenberg with 15 points and three steals, while Riley McDonald added five rebounds.
DePauw shot 45.2 percent for the game to Wittenberg's 26.5 percent and the visitor's held a 33-30 rebounding edge.
DePauw returns to action on Saturday, January 18, with a 3 p.m. home contest with Ohio Wesleyan.