Springfield, Ohio- The DePauw men's basketball team's 44 point effort in the second half was not enough to pull off a comeback win over the Wittenberg Tigers in its 69-77 loss on the road.

Wittenberg took an early seven-point lead in the first half and managed to hold DePauw's offense to just 2 for 12 inside the three-point line. Despite a 14 point deficit heading into the second half, the DePauw Tigers were 5 for 7 from behind the arc and caused nine turnovers in the first twenty minutes of play.

At the half, Wittenberg had outrebounded DePauw 19 to 12, with 15 defensive rebounds to stifle any second chance opportunities for the DePauw Tigers. DePauw's Elijah Hales and Wittenberg's Ridge Young lead their respective teams with nine points; however, the Wittenberg Tigers had three more players on track for double-digit finishes heading into the second half.

In the second half, the DePauw Tigers struck first and would go on a six-minute, 16 to 7 run on Wittenberg to pull within five points of its host.

Unfortunately, DePauw would go cold with 11 minutes remaining in regulation, allowing Wittenberg to stretch its lead to as much as 16. Unwilling to go down easily, the DePauw Tigers clawed their way back to within five points, with two minutes left in the game.

A string of late turnovers and fouls put DePauw's comeback just out of reach as time expired, leading to its third NCAC loss of the season.

DePauw moves to 3-5 overall and 1-3 in NCAC play. The DePauw Tigers return to Neal Fieldhouse on Saturday, December 11, at 3 pm EST against Oberlin, following the women's game at 1 pm EST.