Tigers look to rebound from Sunday's loss

Friday, January 11, 2008

After earning a split with two conference foes this past weekend, DePauw takes to the road tonight to face Rhodes, then travels to Birmingham-Southern for a Sunday Showdown.

The DPU Tigers (9-3, 1-2 SCAC) will invade Memphis today to face the Lynx and hope to rebound from their loss to Oglethorpe on Sunday.

DePauw has seen its stats take a slight dip since it entered conference play. In non-conference play the Tigers have averaged 73 points a game, but with the tough competition of the SCAC that has dwindled to 67 per contest. Rebounding is the only major statistical category that the Tigers have seen a significant decline, dropping from 33 to 29 per contest.

Despite a decline in team stats, some DPU players have seen their numbers improve during conference competition.

Steve Lemasters is averaging 11 points per contest in SCAC action. Tom Callen has seen a rise in points per game averaging six per game and David Gray's points per game has also improved as he's powering in four per contest.

DPU's point guard Mike Moore is having a very productive season for the Tigers averaging 17 points per contest, good enough for sixth in the league. His 7.25 assists per game in conference play rank him first in the league, as well as his 86 percent shooting from the free throw line.

Rebounding has also been a major factor in the Tigers' nine wins. Seniors Brian Oilar and Stephen Schott rank third and fifth respectively in conference play. Schott averages 8.4 boards per contest, while Oilar averages eight.

As a team, the Tigers are ranked second in the league in free throw percentage, 71 percent, and in field goal percentage with 46. Their 8.67 three-pointers per game ranks them third in the conference.

Up first for the Tigers will be the Lynx of Rhodes College and their two-guard attack. The six-foot-five-inch guard tandem of Cory Smith and Jacob Hoskins are providing 37 points per game for the Lynx. Smith also has collected 10 blocks, 14 steals and 25 assists on the season.

Reed Hamilton and Justin Long are combining for 13 rebounds per contest and have hauled in 44 offensive rebounds on the year. Joe Thompson is averaging 10 points per game, with Hamilton averaging nine points.

As a team the Lynx are putting up 79 points a game and pull in 36 rebounds. From the field Rhodes is shooting 41 percent along with 37 percent from three-point territory.

On Sunday, DPU will face Birmingham-Southern in the second half of a double header.

The Panthers bring a balanced attack to the court with four players averaging eight points or more. Aaron Parr leads the way for Birmingham-Southern with 14 points a game, with Nathan West throwing in nine points for the Panthers. Daniel Hudson and Wil Gilmore contribute 17 points per contest.

Parr, West and Hudson have united for 77 assists on the season. Michael Rebarchak and Jordan Schultz are the Panthers' enforcers in the middle, averaging nine rebounds per contest, including 17 offensive rebounds on the season.

The Tigers will face Rhodes at 8 p.m. today and will face Birmingham-Southern at 3 p.m. Sunday. Both games will be carried live on 91.5 WGRE.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: