DePauw men dominate Wittenberg, grab series sweep

Friday, February 14, 2014

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio -- DePauw traveled to 15th-ranked Wittenberg tonight in a North Coast Athletic Conference battle of the tigers and, just like their first meeting this season, DePauw dominated the contest and grabbed a 71-49 victory.

With the win DePauw improved to 16-6 overall and 11-4 in NCAC play, while Wittenberg dropped to 17-5 on the year and 11-4 in the conference. DePauw and Wittenberg join Ohio Wesleyan in a three-way tie for second in the NCAC standings.

The first half proved to be a back-and-forth contest, as both teams were unable to maintain a substantial lead. After the opening ten minutes the score was tied 17-17. With five minutes left in the half DePauw was able to pull away from Wittenberg, closing the half on an 11-3 run and taking a 30-25 lead into the locker room.

DePauw grabbed control early in the second half stretching the lead to 12 over the opening five minutes. The Tigers shot 60.0 percent (18-30) from the floor in the second half including a 66.7 percent (4-6) mark from three-point land.

DePauw forced seven Wittenberg turnovers while only committing two in the half. Tommy Fernitz led all second half scorers with 12 points.

Fernitz had a game-high 17 points and hit 8-10 from the floor. He also grabbed nine rebounds in the win. Adam Botts went a perfect 4-4 from the field scoring 10 points for DePauw.

Wittenberg was led Zack Leahy who dropped in 11 points, while Scott Masin grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds in the loss.

DePauw outrebounded Wittenberg 33-31, and outshot the host Tigers shooting 56.4 percent (31-55) compared to Wittenberg's 31.5 percent (17-54).

The Tigers are back in action Saturday, when they host Kenyon. Start time is set for 1 p.m. and the Tigers will recognize their seniors prior to tipoff.

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