DPU women heading to Wittenberg

Thursday, December 14, 2006

DePauw will attempt to improve to 7-1 on the season with a win against the Wittenberg Tigers this Saturday at 6 p.m.

The sixth-ranked DePauw Tigers will travel to Springfield, Ohio in an attempt to hand the reigning North Coast Athletic Conference champions their fourth loss of the season.

"They have experience at every position and one of their key players is a preseason All-American in the forward position." DePauw coach Kris Huffman said.

"It will be important for us to win the battle on the boards and take care of the basketball.

The 5-foot 10-inch Liz Bondi leads the Tigers with 17 points and six boards a game. Jenna Fernandez contributes 10 points and three rebounds and Caitlin McGonigal is hitting nine points a game while pulling down four boards.

DePauw is also getting quality minutes from senior guard Suzy Doughty and sophomore guard Cassie Pruzin. Doughty is averaging seven points and assists per game. She also has a team-high 26 steals on the season. Pruzin is scoring 9 points a game while pulling down three rebounds and dishing out three assists per game.

Pruzin provided a lift for the Tigers during their last game, as she connected on five-of-eight from beyond the arc, to score a game 17 points.

DePauw is coming off of a 30-point blowout against Monmouth without their leading scorer Bondi. Bondi is currently listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed ankle injury, but hopes to play this weekend.

On the other side, the Wittenberg Tigers (3-3) will try to get Kathy Hittle, last years NCAC Player of the Year, on track for the season. Hittle is averaging just 7.7 points per game this year, down from her team leading 11.1 last year.

This season, Katie Gregorevich is leading the way with 11.5 points and 5.3 rebounds a game. Rachel Clark-Haggy and Gina Carney are averaging 7.8 points each per contest.

Guard Kristen Donawerth is contributing three assists and four steals a game.

Wittenberg defeated Wooster in their last game by eight points. Wittenberg will look to stabilize a roller coaster season with some solid play Saturday.

"It will be a tough game,' Huffman commented on the upcoming game.

"Wittenberg is a strong defensive team and very good on the glass."

On the season, DePauw holds a statistical advantage over Wittenberg on the boards. DePauw is averaging 39 rebounds per game and Wittenberg is pulling down 33 a game.

Wittenberg will have its hands full trying to contain the DPU Tigers. DePauw has outscored their opponents 609-398 this season.

DePauw holds a 3-2 all-time advantage over Wittenberg.

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