Wittenberg Knocks Top-Seed DePauw out of NCAC Tourney

Box Score

Greencastle, Ind. - Tenth-ranked and top-seed DePauw erased an eight point deficit and led by one with less than a minute to play but fourth-seed Wittenberg's Taryn Cash scored a second-chance layup with 45 seconds left and Kristie Kalis hit two free throws with seven seconds remaining to give Wittenberg a 55-52 win in the semifinal round of the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.

DePauw finished the regular season at 23-3 and awaits word of a possible NCAA Championship berth which will come on Monday at 2:30 p.m. on NCAA.com. Wittenberg improved to 17-7 and faces Ohio Wesleyan in tomorrow's 4 p.m. championship game after the Battling Bishops beat Oberlin, 60-50.

DePauw trailed 51-47 after Cash hit a bucket with 2:14 left, but Maeve Summerville countered with a layup 15 seconds later to close the gap to two. After Wittenberg failed to convert on its next possession, Mya Shannon buried a 3-pointer with 1:17 remaining to give DePauw a 52-51 lead, its first since the opening two minutes of the second half.

Wittenberg missed on its next possession, but a jump ball was called on the rebound and possession went to Wittenberg. Cash then scored on a drive to put Wittenberg ahead 53-52.

DePauw couldn't convert on its next possession and Wittenberg rebounded. Kalis hit a pair of free throws with 7.3 seconds left and the Tigers called time out to advance the ball. After the first inbounds pass was batted out of bounds, the Tigers couldn't get off a shot in their final possession and turned the ball over with .8 seconds left and Wittenberg was able to inbound the ball and run out the clock.

DePauw led after the first quarter, 12-7, but Wittenberg took a 25-24 lead into halftime. The guests gradually stretched the lead to as many as eight at 40-32 and led 41-35 after three periods. DePauw scored the first five points of the fourth but scored six straight to take a 47-40 lead with 5:19 left.

Shannon led all scorers with 14 points and Ava Hassel added 10. Campbell Montgomery grabbed 11 rebounds as DePauw, the nation's leader in rebound margin at +16, outrebounded Wittenberg 50-34. Grace Kinsey led with five assists.

Kalis paced Wittenberg with 13 and Jade Simpson followed with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Delaney Williams handed out five assists.

DePauw shot 33.3 percent from the floor to Wittenberg's 36.2, but Wittenberg hit 9-of-13 free throws to DePauw's 6-of-10.

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Players Mentioned

#3 Ava Hassel: G; 5' 6"; Freshman

#5 Grace Kinsey: G; 5' 10"; Senior; I chose DePauw because I loved the sense of community on the campus during my visits. I also felt DePauw had a really good balance between academics and athletics, while still providing the opportunity to travel abroad and explore other interests.

#33 Campbell Montgomery: F; 6' 0"; Senior

#14 Mya Shannon: G; 5' 6"; Senior

#32 Maeve Summerville: F; 6' 1"; Senior; I loved the friendly atmosphere at DePauw right when I visited on campus! I also thought that DePauw offered a lot of ways to grow as a student and to explore what I would like to study. Lastly, I really liked the fact that I could play basketball and be involved in other things that DePauw has!

Players Mentioned

#3 Ava Hassel
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: G

#5 Grace Kinsey
: 5' 10"; Senior; I chose DePauw because I loved the sense of community on the campus during my visits. I also felt DePauw had a really good balance between academics and athletics, while still providing the opportunity to travel abroad and explore other interests.
: G

#33 Campbell Montgomery
: 6' 0"; Senior
: F

#14 Mya Shannon
: 5' 6"; Senior
: G

#32 Maeve Summerville
: 6' 1"; Senior; I loved the friendly atmosphere at DePauw right when I visited on campus! I also thought that DePauw offered a lot of ways to grow as a student and to explore what I would like to study. Lastly, I really liked the fact that I could play basketball and be involved in other things that DePauw has!
: F