DePauw men split with Kenyon, Hiram

HIRAM, Ohio - Host Hiram used a 12-3 run to break a 50-50 deadlock and pull away from DePauw for a 66-61 North Coast Athletic Conference win. The Tigers dropped to 7-10 overall and 4-7 in the NCAC, while the Terriers improved to 8-10 overall and 5-7 in conference play.

The first half included 10 lead changes and four ties with neither team leading by more than four points. Grant Niego’s 3-pointer with 58 seconds left gave DePauw a 27-23 lead, but Hiram closed out the half on a 6-1 run as Kevin Beans, Jr. and Chance Wells each hit threes to give the Terriers a 29-28 lead at the intermission.

Hiram held a 50-42 lead with 7:51 left, but DePauw scored eight straight as Elijah Hales started the run with a jumper before Cooper Mixon hit a free throw. Hales and Grant Niego each scored buckets to even the score at 50-50 with 5:16 remaining.

The Terriers scored the next seven before Hales nailed a three to close the Hiram lead to 57-53. Hiram, however, responded with five straight to push the lead to 62-53 with 1:27 left.

DePauw trimmed the deficit to three at 64-61 after Hales hit two free throws with 12 seconds left, but Hiram hit two charity tosses with two seconds remaining to seal the win.

Hales led all scorers with 26 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, while Nolan Niego scored 12.

Brodgie Gordon paced Hiram with 18 points and five assists with Wells and Beans each scoring 12. Oliver Clingain hauled down a game-high nine rebounds.

DePauw shot just 36.7 percent from the field with Hiram connecting on 42.1 percent. The Tigers committed just six turnovers to Hiram’s 15, but the Terriers held a 45-33 edge on the boards.

The same two teams square off in Greencastle on Friday, Feb. 4, at 8 p.m.

The day before, DePauw closed the first half on a 20-6 run and scored the first nine of the second half on the way to an 81-50 North Coast Athletic Conference win at Kenyon.

DePauw held a 20-17 lead midway through the first half before Ronald Johnson hit a layup, Camden Brown nailed a three and Elijah Hales added a layup to push the margin to double digits.

Kenyon countered with a bucket before Grant Gohmann scored a couple of baskets and Cooper Mixon added a layup to push the lead to 37-21.

The Tigers sealed the win in the opening 3:10 of the second half as Hales started the run with a jumper followed by Gohmann’s layup, three free throws by Hales and a Hales jumper.

Hales led all scorers with 27 points, while Nolan Niego added 10. Gohmann grabbed six rebounds and Johnson had three assists.

Konrad Christian led Kenyon with 11 points with Drew Valentino hauling down six rebounds.

DePauw shot 48.2 percent from the floor to Kenyon’s 30.8 and the Tigers knocked in 10-of-24 3-point field goals with the Lords finishing 5-of-25 from beyond the arc. DePauw outscored Kenyon from the line, 17-5, with Kenyon leading on the boards, 40-37.