Springfield, Ohio- The DePauw men's basketball team mounted a seven point comeback to force extra time, but fell to Wittenberg 65-56, in overtime.

With the loss, DePauw dropped to 10-4 on the year and 3-4 in North Coast Athletic Conference action, while Wittenberg improved to 4-10 overall and 2-5 in the NCAC.

DePauw's first-half offensive woes continued as they started just 2-for-12 from the field. The host Tigers took advantage and jumped out to a quick start, opening with a 17-4 run in the first 11 minutes.

Over the final nine minutes of the half, DePauw began to mount a comeback, closing the half on a 20-9 run. Luke Lattner led all scorers with 10 first-half points and Tommy Fernitz added seven points.

In the second half, both teams battled, trading baskets over the first 11 minutes. Tied 37-37, Wittenberg used a 7-0 run to take a 44-37 lead at the 7:08 mark.

A pair of free-throws from Fernitz cut the deficit to one with just 2:51 remaining. The Tigers finally took the lead with 54 seconds on Fernitz's layup.

Alex Fultz made a three with 39 seconds, putting Wittenberg back in front 50-48. Fernitz answered with a layup to knot the score with 26 ticks left on the clock. The host Tigers missed a layup with four seconds left sending the contest to overtime.

The overtime session was dominated by Wittenberg, quickly pulling out to a seven point lead. DePauw pulled within six, but were unable to mount a second comeback, falling 65-56.

Neither team had impressive shooting numbers as Wittenberg shot 36.5 percent (19-of-52) to DePauw's 32 percent (16-of-50). The host Tigers held an edge from three going 7-for-18 (38.9%) to DePauw's 4-for-22 (18.2%) mark.

DePauw held a 42-38 rebounding advantage, but scored just five points off the bench compared to Wittenberg's 31.

Fernitz notched another double-double with a game-high 18 points and 15 boards. Connor Rich added 11 points and Lattner finished with 10.

Wittenberg was led by Fultz with 14, while Cody Phillippi and Chad Roy added 13 and 10 points respectively.

DePauw faces another tough test when they travel to Ohio Wesleyan Saturday, January 17, for a 3:00 p.m. contest.