Lady Tigers use first-half run to net 16th-straight victory

MEADVILLE Pa.- The DePauw women's basketball team rolled to its 16th-straight victory Friday night, defeating Allegheny 85-46, staying unbeaten in North Coast Athletic Conference play.

Ranked #9 in the coaches poll and #10 in the D3hoops.com poll, the Tigers moved to 19-1 overall and 12-0 in the NCAC, while Allegheny fell to 13-7 on the year and 6-5 in league action.

The Gators jumped out to an early lead on Marina Scarantino's three-point shot and would lead 10-6 at the 15:11 mark. However, Allegheny's advantage would only be temporary as DePauw would use a 31-0 run to seize control of the game.

During the nine minute stretch the Tigers would net four three-pointers and force five Gator turnovers. Seven different players scored for DePauw during the stretch as the Tigers entered the locker room with a 41-14 advantage.

Hannah Douglas led all scorers with 12 first-half points, while Abby Keller grabbed 10 rebounds. DePauw shot 45.9 percent (17-for-37) from the floor and held Allegheny to just 18.2 percent (4-for-22) shooting.

In the second half, it was Savannah Trees who took control for the Tigers, scoring 17 of her game-high 24 points. DePauw led by as much as 40 before sealing the 39-point victory. Trees moved into fourth-place on the Tigers' career scoring leaders with 1,340 points, trailing Kelly Morrison by just 25 points for third on the all-time list.

Emma Ondik notched 14 points for DePauw, while Douglas finished with 12 points and Lauren Abendroth added 10. Keller grabbed 13 boards as the Tigers outrebounded Allegheny 48-29.

DePauw went 35-for-71 (49.3%) from the floor and shot 38.7 percent (12-of-31) from three. The Tigers assisted on 22 of their 35 baskets and committed only eight turnovers. Ten players scored for DePauw in the victory, outscoring the Gators 31-8 on bench points.

Jessica Mrdjenovich and Rachel Vigliotti paced Allegheny with 10 points each, while Ifeyinwa Uwazie grabbed six rebounds off the bench. The Gators shot 25.9 percent (14-of-54) from the floor and an impressive 92.9 percent (13-of-14) from the charity stripe.

DePauw currently sits atop the league standings with a three-game lead over Wittenberg and just four regular-season games remaining. The Tigers are back in action tomorrow at Hiram starting at 2 p.m.