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Engineers construct a win against Tigers 64-61
The DePauw men's basketball team cut a 19-point halftime deficit to two with less than 20 seconds remaining against visiting Rose-Hulman but the comeback attempt came up just short when the buzzer-beating attempt by senior Pat Haggin rimmed out, giving the Tigers a 64-61 loss.
It was the second defeat in a row for DePauw (5-3) and the third in its last four games.
"I'm really disappointed," DPU head coach Bill Fenlon said. "They're really good at running their motion. They make it really hard on you. There's tons of movement. ... When you get down 19, a whole lot of stuff better go right."
Led by a much more dynamic defense in the second half, DePauw incrementally trimmed its deficit until 3-point try from sophomore Adam Botts cut it to two with 19.5 seconds remaining.
Engineers (5-3) senior Jordy Martin hit on both free throw attempts, but after a timeout DePauw's Brad Fey again cut it to two with a hook shot at the basket. Now out of timeouts, Fey then grabbed the ball after the made shot and threw it out of bounds, forcing a delay of game whistle and a stopped clock.
Fey, sophomore who played at Indianapolis Roncalli in high school, said he had made similar plays twice while playing for the Rebels, resulting in a disheveled cheerleader and a win for his team.
Fenlon said he'd never coached the play, but plans to start now, though he would change one thing. With the clock stopped, DePauw trapped the Engineers in the corner but immediately fouled instead of, with nine seconds remaining, first attempting to force a turnover.
"Brad just did that on his own. He's pretty smart about certain things," Fenlon said. "It didn't work, because we got them to inbound into the deepest, darkest corner and instead of just letting the trap play out, we fouled them, which wasn't the plan."
RHIT senior Julian Strickland, who had scored 11 points in the first half, missed his first of two free throws. He made the second to score his first point of the second half.
The Tigers played a small-ball lineup after the break with junior forward Bob Dillon guarding Strickland and taking him out of the game. Down 19 after a first half that left the coach "flabbergasted," Fenlon said his team had to do something to turn the tide and getting for active defensively played a big part.
"It was unrecognizable what we were doing in the first half, on both ends," Fenlon said.
The improved second-half defense was also a product of a more discernible offensive plan.
The Tigers have four or five actions built into each offensive set, Fenlon said, and in the first half they struggled to even get to the initial action.
"When that happens, it's every man for himself," he said. "The right hand doesn't know what the left hand's doing. It was like I never even saw those guys; those first half guys."
DPU began the game hoping to exploit the low post, particularly from the left block where junior center Tommy Fernitz has a range of options and maneuvers at his disposal.
His contested hooks fell initially, but as the Engineer defenders adjusted and forced him to start his moves further from the basket, his shot drifted and became more inconsistent and he started turning the ball over.
Flustered, DePauw continued to force shots near the basket but were overpowered by the bigger, stronger Engineer defenders.
Rose-Hulman had no such problems. In constant motion, it sent shooters around screens, forcing DePauw to shift and rotate, which opened up open 3s and passing lanes to forward Alec Houpt and Jimmy Miller, who combined for 15 in the first half.
Invigorated and reminded of their responsibilities, the Tigers cut into the deficit from the start, beginning the second on a 6-0 run led by seniors Michael Wilkison and Pat Haggin.
Wilkison had 13 of his team-high 15 in the second half and nine of his 12.
After several big shots and stops, the Tigers brought the ball up the court, down three, with less than nine seconds remaining.
Their final play, which had been designed for the previous possession that Fey abandoned and scored on, was drawn up during the prior timeout as a variation of a regular set, Fenlon said.
As the clocked ticked away, the players were worried about running out of time and cut the action short, which resulted in Haggin attempting an off-balance 3 from the left wing that missed off the front iron.
DePauw was 5-for-12 from behind the arc in the game and Rose-Hulman 4-for-15. DPU shot 57.7 percent in the second half and held the Engineers to 35.0 percent, a reversal from the first half when it was 34.8 and 55.6.
The Tigers begin a long holiday break on Thursday, with 18 days off before their next game on Dec. 29 against Drew in the Tampa Bay Shootout.