DPU men capture Smokey Ballenger Championship

WESTERVILLE, Ohio - The DePauw men's basketball team overcame a 12-point halftime deficit and held host Otterbein to just 12 second-half points and captured the Smokey Ballenger Tournament title with a 54-42 win over the Cardinals on Saturday. The Tigers improved to 3-0 with the win, while Otterbein dropped to 1-2.

DePauw got out to a quick start by scoring the game's first five points and led by as many as six at 10-4 after Connor Rich knocked in a three with 13:31 left in the half. The lead was still four at 12-8 before the hosts scored 11 straight to grab a 19-12 lead.

Luke Lattner hit one of two free throws to temporarily stop the run, but the Cardinals scored eight straight to extend the margin to 27-13. Otterbein held a 30-18 lead at the break.

Bob Dillon's tip-in started a 9-0 DePauw stretch to open the second half. Frank Patton III and Tommy Fernitz followed with buckets and Fernitz added a three-point play to cut the lead to 30-27 with 15:53 remaining.

DePauw trailed 34-29 and took the lead with an 8-0 run as Lattner and Rich hit threes that sandwiched a Mark Johnson jumper to make it 37-34. with 10:34 left. The Tigers maintained the lead the rest of the way and led by as many as 14.

The Tigers shot just 17.2 percent from the field in the first half and were 3-17 from three-point range, while Otterbein connected on 52.2 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes. The second half told a different story as the Tigers shot 50 percent from the field and Otterbein 18.8. For the game, both teams were 18-55 from the field for 32.7 percent.

After a first half of two points and four rebounds, Fernitz finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds for his second straight double-double to earn tournament MVP honors. Dillon finished with 13 points and three steals, while Bradley Fey dished out three assists.

Jake Phillis was Otterbein's leader with 13 points, while Bryan Mackenzie hauled down nine rebounds.

Otterbein held a 42-33 rebounding edge, but DePauw committed just five turnovers in the win.

Lattner joined Fernitz on the all-tournament team which also included Brennan Campbell (Houghton), Nathan Gross (Anderson), Phillis and Mackenzie.

DePauw hosts Rose-Hulman on Tuesday, Nov, 25, at 8 p.m.