Narrow victory gives DePauw women undefeated SCAC regular season

ATLANTA, Ga. -- Cassie Pruzin knocked down two free throws with 6.4 seconds left and Oglethorpe's Katie Kulavic missed a two-pointer at the buzzer as the seventh-ranked DePauw women took a 76-73 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference win at 25th-ranked Oglethorpe.

DePauw im-proved to 22-3 with its 11th straight win and finished SCAC play at 14-0, while the Stormy Petrels dropped to 21-4 overall and 11-3 in the SCAC.

The Tigers fell behind 8-0 in the opening five minutes of the contest as they missed their first 11 shots from the floor, but came back with a 9-2 run to close the gap to one.

The Stormy Petrels eventually extended the lead to as many as 12 with the last coming at 34-22 with 4:29 left in the half. DePauw closed the half with a 12-1 run and trimmed the hosts' halftime lead to 35-34.

DePauw continued the run through the early stages of the second half as Pruzin and Jenna Fernandez opened the half with buckets giving the Tigers their first lead of the game at 36-35. That lead eventually reached nine at 47-38.

The margin was still eight after Katie Mathews' jumper made it 59-51 with 751 remaining. Oglethorpe's Jamie Osmanson scored on a drive and buried a three-pointer from the corner to close the gap to 59-56.

Kulavic's three-point play with 4:33 left closed DePauw's lead to 62-61 before Pruzin hit a pair of threes in a 30-second span to make it 68-61 at the 3:52 mark. The Stormy Petrels' Tina Grace hit a pair of free throws and Pruzin followed with a drive before Oglethorpe went on a 6-0 run to close the margin to 70-69 with 1:55 left.

Gretchen Haehl's driving layup at the 1:24 mark extended DePauw's lead to three, but Kulavic's drive with 58.7 seconds remaining made it 72-71.

Haehl again drove the lane with 45 seconds left and Grace followed with a pair of free throws with 36 seconds left which brought the hosts within one at 74-73. Pruzin, who was fouled with one second left on the shot clock and 6.4 left in the game, nailed both free throws to extend the lead to three.

Pruzin led the Tigers with 23 points, including 18 in the second half, and dished out five assists, while Fernandez recorded a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. Emily Marshall grabbed seven boards and Pruzin six as the Tigers held a 40-39 edge on the glass. Pruzin and Haehl each had four steals.

Kulavic and Anna Findley each scored 15 for Oglethorpe, while Findley grabbed 10 boards for a double-double. Grace added 14 points and Kulavic dished out four assists.

The Tigers shot 39.2 percent for the game including 47 percent in the second half, while the Stormy Petrels hit 44.1 percent, but DePauw committed just 12 turnovers in the game to Oglethorpe's 25.

DePauw's 14-0 SCAC record marked their third undefeated conference record in 10 SCAC seasons. The Tigers open SCAC tournament play against Southwestern on Friday, February 29, in Conway, Ark., at 2 p.m.

At Atlanta, GA (Dorough Field House)

DePauw (22-3, 14-0 SCAC) -- Cassie Pruzin 8-16 4-4 23; Jenna Fernandez 4-13 5-9 13; Gretchen Haehl 4-11 0-0 9; Gwen Haehl 3-8 2-2 9; Andrea Travelstead 3-4 0-0 6; Kalei Lowes 3-6 0-0 6; Katie Mathews 2-7 2-6 6; Sarah Merkel 1-1 0-0 2; Emily Marshall 1-8 0-0 2; Adedrea Chaney 0-0 0-0 0; Brianna Frigerio 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-74 13-21 76.

Oglethorpe (21-4, 11-3 SCAC) -- Anna Findley 5-15 1-2 15; Katie Kulavic 6-11 3-3 15; Tina Grace 3-7 8-8 14; Brittany Corbett 4-9 1-2 9; Chelsea MacDonald 2-3 0-0 6; Jamie Osmanson 2-7 0-0 5; Biz Richmann 2-3 1-1 5; Courtney Reed 1-1 0-0 2; Hannah Brooks 1-3 0-0 2; Shannon Dougherty 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-59 14-16 73.

3-point goals--DePauw 5-17 (Cassie Pruzin 3-7; Gretchen Haehl 1-5; Gwen Haehl 1-4; Kalei Lowes 0-1), Oglethorpe 7-18 (Anna Findley 4-8; Chelsea MacDonald 2-3; Jamie Osmanson 1-3; Brittany Corbett 0-3; Hannah Brooks 0-1). Fouled out--DePauw-Emily Marshall, Oglethorpe-None. Rebounds--DePauw 40 (Jenna Fernandez 10), Oglethorpe 39 (Anna Findley 10). Assists--DePauw 11 (Cassie Pruzin 5), Oglethorpe 10 (Katie Kulavic 4). Total fouls--DePauw 17, Oglethorpe 16. Technical fouls--DePauw-None, Oglethorpe-None. A-322