DePauw men take down Colorado in hoops action

Saturday, January 29, 2011

GREENCASTLE -- Colorado College went into Friday night's game at DePauw averaging over 70 points per game, led by senior guard Nick Rose's 21-point average. They left with just a paltry "49" showing under their name on the Neal Fieldhouse scoreboard after Rose and his teammates struggled against a relentless DePauw defensive effort.

The result was a 60-49 win for DePauw (12-7, 7-3 SCAC) against one of the better teams in the SCAC. Colorado College entered with only one conference loss and boasted an early-season win over Division I opponent Air Force.

"This was a really good win for us," coach Bill Fenlon said. "Our guys knew this was a very good team we were playing, and they answered the bell tonight. We've talked about being just a little tougher, -- concentrating a bit more, bringing more energy and effort -- and I think we did that tonight."

Potential SCAC player-of-the-year Rose scored 11 in the first half, and early on looked like he might have another big night. But senior guard -- and DePauw's designated defensive stopper -- Ross Simpson was in Rose's face the rest of the way and rarely surrendered even a halfway open look. Rose ended with 15 in what was a quiet game for him. That matchup, intense throughout, drew the attention of the officials in the second-half when Rose appeared to intentionally obstruct Simpson while the DePauw player ran downcourt. A double-technical was called on the play, though it was unclear what Simpson had done to elicit a technical.

"Ross is a physical defender, and every night we put him on the other team's best guy, and he delivers time and time again," Fenlon said. "His stat line tells you nothing about his value to this team, because the stuff he does for us defensively and toughness-wise and really setting a tone for everyone are as good as anybody we've got."

DePauw's defense was the decisive factor on a night when the offensive attack looked out of sync and struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities. They shot just 40 percnet from the field, a touch better than Colorado College's 39 percent.

"I've told the guys there will be times when I think we can score the ball really well, but tonight just wasn't one of those," Fenlon said. "We had some good looks here and there, but we weren't hitting shots. We just need to have a bit more poise with the ball."

Sixty points turned out to be plenty on this night, though. The Tigers were led by Sean Haseley's 13 -- 11 of which came in the pivotal final five minutes of the game -- and Steve Lemasters' 12, the only two to break into double figures.

When Colorado College got within three, 47-44, with 5:23 to play, it was Haseley's three-pointer that gave DePauw the cushion it needed. With under two minutes remaining and leading by five, Haseley pushed the lead back to seven with two big free throws following a Colorado triple.

"Sean's asked to do a lot for us offensively, and we've changed some things up lately, putting him at the 4 [power forward] position," Fenlon said. "He's a really good scorer, and against some of these bigger guys, he's able to use his quickness to drive to the basket and create some opportunities."

DePauw has now won six of its last seven games, and Fenlon has noted a change in his team's performance.

"We had that point earlier in the year where we lost four in a row to some pretty good teams, but since then I've just seen us get better and better," Fenlon said. "The biggest thing is that we've steadily improved defensively. Tonight was a good example of that. We'll have nights where we score the ball offensively, but sometimes you've just got to win these types of games."

DePauw finds itself right in the thick of the SCAC race. They will play another conference opponent, Austin College, Sunday at 2 p.m.

At DePauw

DEPAUW UNIVERSITY 60

COLORADO COLLEGE 49

Colorado College 26 23 -- 49

DePauw University 32 28 -- 60

COLORADO COLLEGE (12-7, 8-2 SCAC)-- Nick Rose 7-17 0-0 15; Ben Foley 4-7 0-3 8; Ryan Milne 3-6 0-0 7; Daniel Webb 3-9 0-0 7; Brady Ohlsen 2-6 2-4 6; Jake Tramutolo 1-2 0-0 3; Jeremiah Waters 1-5 0-0 3; Colin Madden 0-1 0-0 0; Ian Rewoldt 0-0 0-1 0. Totals 21-53 2-8 49.

DEPAUW UNIVERSITY (12-7, 7-3 SCAC) -- Sean Haseley 3-9 6-6 13; Steve Lemasters 4-7 0-0 12; Joe Bergfeld 3-7 3-4 9; Michael Wilkison 4-9 0-0 8; Ryan Sever 2-3 3-4 7; Drew Wills 2-8 2-2 6; Tommy Weakley 1-6 0-0 3; Ross Simpson 1-1 0-0 2; Ryan Russell 0-0 0-0 0.

Totals 20-50 14-16 60.

3-point goals -- Colorado College 5-20 (Jeremiah Waters 1-5; Jake Tramutolo 1-1; Ryan Milne 1-2; Daniel Webb 1-5; Nick Rose 1-5; Colin Madden 0-1; Ben Foley 0-1), DePauw University 6-16 (Steve Lemasters 4-7; Tommy Weakley 1-3; Sean Haseley 1-2; Drew Wills 0-1; Michael Wilkison 0-3).

Fouled out -- Colorado College-None, DePauw University-None. Rebounds -- Colorado College 26 (Brady Ohlsen 9), DePauw University 39 (Sean Haseley 7).

Assists -- Colorado College 8 (Ryan Milne 4), DePauw University 7 (Michael Wilkison 4). Total fouls--Colorado College 18, DePauw University 16.

Technical fouls -- Colorado College-Ben Foley; Colin Madden, DePauw University-Ross Simpson; Drew Wills.

A -- 200