Box Score Greencastle, Ind. - Led by Sydney Kopp's 30-point performance including 27 in the first half, third-ranked DePauw advanced to the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals following an 89-48 quarterfinal win over Hiram. The Tigers improved to 25-1 with their 21st straight win, while the Terriers concluded their season at 7-19.
DePauw, the top seed in the tournament, hosts the NCAC semifinals for the eighth time since beginning conference play in 2011-12 and will face fourth-seed Ohio Wesleyan at 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 28. The Battling Bishops defeated Allegheny, 78-60. The 7 p.m. semifinal contest pits second-seed Denison against third-seed Wittenberg. Denison topped Kenyon tonight, 63-43, and Wittenberg was a 46-36 winner over Oberlin.
Hiram got out to an 8-2 lead in the opening three minutes. Kopp, who missed her first three shots, made her final four of the opening quarter including a jumper just before the horn sounded, giving the Tigers a 17-16 lead at the quarter break.
Claire Keefe's layup followed by a Kopp 3-pointer capped a 7-0 DePauw run and gave the Tigers a 22-16 lead. After Hiram closed the gap to four, Kopp scored the Tigers' next 13 points to push the DePauw lead to 37-23 with 3:17 remaining in the half.
Hiram countered with a bucket before the Tigers scored the final seven of the half for a 44-25 advantage at the intermission. Kopp's 27-point half was the most by a DePauw player in a first half and second only to her 30-point second half at Ohio Wesleyan earlier this season.
The Tigers extended the lead to as many as 35 in the third after totaling 29 points in the stanza on the strength of 68.8 percent shooting. DePauw led by as many as 45 in the final two minutes as it held Hiram to 23 percent shooting in the final quarter.
In addition to Kopp's 30 points, Keefe added 14 followed by Mya Shannon with 13 and Grace Kinsey with 12. Maeve Summerville grabbed a career-high nine rebounds and Maura Fitzgerald dished out a career-best six assists. Keefe and Kopp had four steals apiece.
Madison Branch led Hiram with 16 points with TT Wright totaling 15 along with six rebounds.
The Tigers shot 50.7 percent for the game to Hiram's 33.9 and the Tigers outrebounded the Terriers, 48-24.
This Freaky Fast postgame report is sponsored by Jimmy John's in Greencastle, Indiana.
