Tigers extend road streak to five

Thursday, January 30, 2014

GRANVILLE, Ohio -- Tommy Fernitz posted his eighth double-double in the last 10 games and 23rd-ranked DePauw collected its ninth win in the last 10 tries after topping Denison, 68-63, in a North Coast Athletic Conference contest Wednesday.

The win was the Tigers' fifth straight on the road.

DePauw improved to 14-4 overall and 9-2 in the NCAC, while Denison dropped to 8-10 overall and 4-7 in the conference.

The Tigers never trailed in the contest and broke free from an early 6-6 tie with an 11-0 run that included an Adam Botts three-pointer, a Fernitz bucket and back-to-back treys from Michael Wilkison.

Denison trimmed the margin back to five, but DePauw stretched it to as many as 13 before taking a 39-28 lead at the break.

The Big Red closed to within six in the opening eight minutes of the second half, but Connor Rich knocked down a three and Luke Lattner nailed a pair of free throws to push the lead back to double figures.

The hosts made one final run in the final two minutes as Darius White hit a three with 1:41 left to make it 66-60 and Briggs King closed it to four with a steal and layup.

DePauw used nearly the entire shot clock on the next possession but missed a three-pointer. Denison rebounded and Alex Longi was fouled with 16 seconds remaining and hit the first of two free throws to close the gap to 66-63.

The Tigers' Connor Rich grabbed the rebound and was fouled. Rich put the Tigers up by four after hitting the second of the two charity tosses.

Bob Dillon's steal and one free throw extended the lead to five and preserved the win.

Fernitz paced DePauw with 18 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks and hit 7-of-9 field goals. Wilkison hit three three-pointers in the win, while Frank Patton led with two steals.

David Meurer led Denison with 17 points with King chipping in 16 points. Brad Woolard paced the Big Red with six rebounds and Alex Longi handed out five assists.

DePauw shot 50 percent for the game after connecting on 61 percent of its first half shots. Denison finished with just under 40 percent shooting from the floor. The Tigers also held a 37-28 edge on the boards.

The Tigers travel to Oberlin on Saturday, Feb. 1, for a 3 p.m. contest against the Yeomen.

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