BOX SCORE

December 20, 2004, Kalamazoo, Mich. - After shooting nearly 55 percent from the field in the first half and leading 44-37 at the break, the Tigers cooled off over the final 20 minutes in hitting just 28 percent in an 81-76 loss at Kalamazoo. The Tigers dropped to 4-4 with the loss and Kalamazoo improved to 4-6.

DePauw trailed early by as many as four before scoring eight straight on back-to-back three-pointers by Alex Stewart and Reid Sakel and a layup by Stewart to take a 12-8 lead.

The Tigers didn't relinquish that lead the rest of the half and still held a 51-44 lead with 16:07 left in the contest. The host Hornets, however, outscored DePauw 9-2 over a stretch of 3:42 to knot the score at 53-53.

DePauw held a 60-59 lead after Stewart's layup with eight minutes remaining, but Kalamazoo scored the next seven capped by Tim Herman's three-pointer with 5:23 remaining that pushed the Hornets' lead to 66-60.

The Tigers closed the gap back to 68-66 on Reid Sakel's two free throws with 2:11 left, but the Hornets countered with seven straight on Tony Wichmann's basket and three-point play and Phillip Weaver's two free throws to make it 75-66.

Stewart led DePauw with 20, while Austin Brown dropped in a career-high 17 points and Steve Schott matched a career best with 15.

Wichmann led Kalamazoo with 20, while Herman and Ryan Konwinski added 16 each.

Kyle Konwinski grabbed a game-high eight rebounds for Kalamazoo, while Schott and Brown each grabbed six for the Tigers.

DePauw returns to action on Wednesday, December 29, when they face Emory University in the Tampa Bay Shootout. The Tigers are hosting the two-day tournament which also includes Williams and Babson.