Granville, Ohio- The DePauw men's basketball team ended a three-game skid after beating the Denison University Big Red 75-72 in overtime.

The Tigers opened the game with a three-pointer from Elijah Hales, which started a three-minute 9-0 run over the Big Red.

Aggressive defense, which forced nine turnovers and its quick transition offense on the other end, helped the Tigers maintain the lead for most of the first half. 

With a minute left in the half, Denison's Ricky Radtke gave the Big Red its first lead over DePauw with an emphatic dunk. Hales would squeeze past the Big Red defenders in the Tigers' next possession and take back the lead. Unwilling to let the momentum shift back to DePauw, Denison's Will Hunter throws up a halfcourt shot to put the Big Red up 33-30 at the half.

At the start of the second half, DePauw and Denison quickly found the bottom of the net. Trading baskets and turnovers till the Tigers found its footing. Across the first eight minutes of the second half, DePauw shot 70% from the field, resulting in a 53-43 lead with just over 11 minutes left in the game. 

However, by the seven-minute mark, the Big Red cut the lead to within five and kept fighting to stay within striking distance of the Tigers, which ultimately led to overtime.

In overtime, Denison got on the board first, off two free throws, and was up by four points in two minutes of play. Fortunately for DePauw, Hales, and Ronald Johnson's sharpshooting from behind the arc provided the edge they needed to pull off its road win.

Hales led the team offensively with 24 points, with Grant Niego putting up 16 of his own with three assists and three steals. Nick Wissel recorded four steals, while Nolan Niego pulled down six rebounds. 

The Tigers improve to 6-9 overall and 3-6 in North Coast Athletic Conference play. DePauw's next game is on the road on Saturday, January 29 at 3 pm EST, facing the Kenyon College Lords.