DePauw women win fourth NCAC tourney in five years

GRANVILLE, Ohio - The DePauw women's basketball team put together its second-best offensive output of the season and its best shooting performance in more than a month and captured the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament title with an 83-53 win over Allegheny.

With the win, DePauw captured its fourth NCAC tourney title in five years of league play and earned the program's 13th straight appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship and 17th in the last 21 seasons. The Tigers improved to 22-6 with their ninth straight win, while Allegheny finished the season at 15-13.

Allegheny's only lead was at 2-0 and the Tigers quickly erased it with a 9-0 run on the way to a 22-11 lead after one period. The Gators were within nine at 26-17, but tournament MVP Emily Budde started a 7-0 run with a jumper and finished it with a 3-pointer that gave DePauw a 33-17 lead with 5:38 remaining in the half.

The Tigers closed the half with a 9-2 stretch to grab a 44-23 halftime advantage. If the final result were still in doubt, the Tigers put an end to it in the third quarter. A 10-0 run lifted DePauw's lead to 58-30 and they headed to the final 10 minutes with a 30-point lead at 67-37.

DePauw's largest lead was 37 at 83-46 before the Gators scored the game's final seven points.

Budde and Abby Keller each scored 18, while Melinda Franke added 10. Keller also led the Tigers with eight rebound as DePauw held a 44-22 edge on the boards. Maya Howard, who joined Budde on the all-tournament team, dished out four assists.

Emma Pellicano paced Allegheny with 12 points, while Rachel Vigliotti grabbed six rebounds.

DePauw shot 49.1 percent from the field and knocked in 27-of-29 free throws. Allegheny shot 35 percent from the floor.

The Tigers will learn their first-round opponent and site during Monday's 2:30 p.m. selection show on NCAA.com.

NOTES: DePauw's five seniors combined for 38 of the Tigers' 83 points ... the Tigers' 27 free throws made were a season high and the most since 2011 ... DePauw's seniors are the 10th class in school history to compete in the NCAA tournament each of their four seasons ... the conference tournament title was the Tigers' 10th in the last 13 seasons.