BOX SCORE | PHOTO GALLERY

December 20, 2008, Terre Haute, Ind. — Steve Lemasters equaled a career high with 17 points and Tony James (pictured) notched a career-best 15, but host Indiana State hung on for a 66-60 win over the Tigers at Hulman Center.

"I was disappointed, initially, in the first half because we had some guys not ready to go," DePauw head coach Bill Fenlon said.

"We didn't follow the defensive game plan and that dug us a hole. I thought we did handle things better in the second half."

Indiana State held a 33-25 lead at the break before the Tigers closed the gap to 35-34 as Lemasters nailed a trio of three-pointers in the opening five minutes of the second half.

The Tigers were still within one at 42-41 after Mike Moore's layup with 10:55 left, but the Sycamores started a 12-3 stretch to extend the margin to 54-44.

The Sycamores' largest lead came at 58-46 and they still led 62-54 after Jay Tunnell's layup with just under two minutes remaining.

Joe Bergfeld's put back and Tom Callen's layup with 1:05 left cut the margin to 62-58. Harry Marshall hit one of two free throws with 37.3 seconds left to make it 63-58, but the Tigers turned the ball over on their next possession and Indiana State hit three of four free throws in the closing 15 seconds to secure the win.

DePauw's lone lead in the game came early in the first half when it used an 8-0 run to take a 10-6 lead. Indiana State scored the next seven and never relinquished the lead. The Tigers dropped to 5-4 with the loss, while the Sycamores improved to 2-8.

"We felt we could stay in the game," Moore said. "It came down to two or three possessions."

Lemasters' 17-point effort included a 4-of-7 performance from three-point range. In addition to James' 15, Tom Callen added 10. Callen grabbed seven rebounds, but the Sycamores held a 42-27 advantage on the boards.

Marshall led four Indiana State double-figure scorers with 18 and hit 10-of-13 from the line. Tunnell, Rashad Reed and Josh Crawford each added 10 with Carl Richard and Crawford grabbing six rebounds apiece.

Moore and James each dished out four assists in the contest and Moore moved into second place on the DePauw and Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference career lists with 492.

The Tigers shot 40.0 percent from the floor to Indiana State's 47.8 percent while DePauw hit 6-of-21 threes and the Sycamores failed in all 10 attempts beyond the arc. The Sycamores made 22-of-31 from the line with DePauw hitting 6-of-10.

DePauw returns to action on Monday, December 29, when it faces Drew in the opening game of the Tampa Bay Shootout. Tipoff from Tampa Prep School is set for 5 p.m.