DePauw men lose to Wooster

The 18th-ranked DePauw men's basketball team was back in action Saturday afternoon at Neal Fieldhouse, hosting 10th-ranked Wooster. The Fighting Scots shot 51.1 percent from the floor and never trailed in the contest on their way to a 76-63 victory.

With the loss, the Tigers dropped to 4-2 overall and 0-2 in North Coast Athletic Conference play, while Wooster improved to 4-2 on the year and 1-1 in the NCAC.

Trailing 43-35 at halftime, the Tigers slowly climbed back into the contest. Down by as much as 10, DePauw was able to go on a 6-0 run with 10 minutes remaining to cut the lead to just four.

Again, Wooster would answer, snuffing out any hopes of a Tiger comeback. The Fighting Scots closed the final three minutes on a 14-6 run to take a 76-63 victory.

Poor second-half shooting doomed DePauw's comeback chances as they shot just 35.7 percent (10-28) from the floor including an 0-for-10 mark from three.

Fernitz proved to be the one bright spot for the Tigers as he scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half.

Wooster shot 51.1 percent (23-45) in the contest and made 25-of-30 free-throws to seal the win. Fanelly led the Fighting Scots with 17 points, while Brown and Josh Kipfer added 13 points. Alex LaLonde and Jalen Goodwin each tallied 11 points in the victory.

DePauw went 19-for-54 from the floor (35.2%), shooting 20 percent (5-25) from three and 74.1 percent (20-27) from the free-throw line. Fernitz led all scorers with 18 points and tied the DePauw career record with his 110th blocked shot, while Patton III added 12 points.

Both teams totaled 28 points in the paint, while Wooster held a 32-29 edge on rebounds.

The Tigers are back in action Wednesday, December 10, when they host Earlham starting at 7:30 p.m.