DPU pick up wins over weekend

SAN ANTONIO -- Cassie Pruzin scored all of her career-high 27 points in the second half and led the 13th-ranked Tigers to a 68-51 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference win at Trinity.

With the win, DePauw improved to 17-3 overall and remained unbeaten in the SCAC at 10-0. The Tigers also extended their season-long win streak to six games. Trinity dropped to 13-5 overall and 8-2 in the conference.

DePauw battled through poor shooting and foul trouble throughout the first half and Pruzin was held scoreless during the first 20 minutes. After trailing by as many as seven in the opening half, the Tigers trailed just 24-23 at the break despite shooting just 25 percent from the floor.

Pruzin's three just over a minute into the second half gave the Tigers the lead for good and, more importantly, started an 18-0 run that eventually gave DePauw a 50-28 lead with just over nine minutes remaining.

Trinity scored eight straight to close the gap to 50-36 and eventually closed to within 11, but the Tigers used a 5-0 run to push the lead back to 16 with just over two minutes left.

Pruzin led all scorers with 27, while Katie Mathews added a career-high 12 and Gretchen Haehl followed with 11. Pruzin also grabbed six rebounds, dished out six assists and recorded three steals. Haehl added five assists and four steals in the win.

Meghan Scholbe paced Trinity with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Krista Prato-Matthews added 12 points.

Each team grabbed 39 rebounds, but DePauw totaled 22 on the offensive glass. DePauw shot 35.4 percent for the game, while Trinity shot 43.4 percent, but the hosts committed 27 turnovers.

DePauw returns home on Friday, February 8, when it takes on Rhodes at 6 p.m.

For the men, DePauw trailed by as many as 11 early in the second half but battled back for a 70-68 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference win at Trinity.

With the win, DePauw improved to 16-4 overall and 8-2 in the SCAC and extended its season-long win streak to six. Trinity dropped to 13-6 overall and 6-4 in the SCAC.

The Tigers had to survive a possible game-winning three by the hosts as DePauw missed the front end of a one-and-one with 14 seconds left. Trinity rebounded and got the ball in the hands of Patrick Robinson and his three as the buzzer sounded was long.

Trinity jumped out to an early lead and extended it to as much as 12 midway through the first half before DePauw closed the gap to 38-31 at halftime. Early in the second half, Trinity scored six straight to take a 44-33 lead, but DePauw countered with a Ryan Werntz jumper and three-pointers from Steve Lemasters and Mike Moore to close the lead to three.

DePauw took its first lead of the second half at 50-48 on a Tony James jumper with 10:12 left before Trinity put together a 12-5 stretch to gain a 60-55 advantage wit six minutes remaining.

Brian Oilar's three and James' steal and layup knotted the score at 60-60 with just over five minutes left.

Lemasters hit a three with 2:15 left which gave DePauw its biggest lead of the game at 68-64. Trinity closed the gap to 68-7 after Charles Houston hit a pair of free throws, but Lemasters matched that with two charity tosses with 24 seconds remaining.

Werntz paced DePauw with a career-high 21 points as he hit 5-of-7 three-pointers. Moore added 11 points and nine rebounds, while Stephen Schott and Lemasters each scored 10.

Houston paced Trinity with 18, while Moon added 16 and Robinson followed with 10.