Tiger men fall to Panthers

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - DePauw scored 17 straight points during a four-minute stretch of the second half to trim a 22-point deficit to five, but the host Panthers held on for a 78-63 win over the Tigers. DePauw dropped to 10-4, while Birmingham-Southern moved to 8-5.

Birmingham-Southern jumped out to a 7-0 lead, but DePauw caught the Panthers at 17-17 and held a 28-27 advantage briefly after Ryan Werntz knocked down a three with 2:29 left in the first half. The Panthers led at the break, 33-30.

The margin was still five at 37-32 before Birmingham-Southern went on a 13-0 run capped by Roger Williams' putback with 14:25 remaining which made it 50-32. The lead reached as many as 22 after Nathan West hit a three with 10:16 left.

Steve Lemasters nailed a three with 9:02 remaining which started a 17-0 run over the next four minutes. Mike Moore's drive with 5:09 left closed the Panthers' lead to 59-54. The Tigers were still within seven after Brian Oilar hit two free throws with 2:48 remaining, but Birmingham-Southern scored the next 11 to put the game away.

Werntz paced DePauw with 16 points followed by Stephen Schott with 14 and Oilar with 10. Schott grabbed seven rebounds and Mke Moore dished out five assists.