Greencastle, Ind.: DePauw kicked off 2023 on a high note with a 76-52 over the Hiram College Terriers, holding Hiram to a season-low. Before its matchup against the Tigers, the Terriers were averaging 85.3 points and ranked 19th in scoring offense. DePauw moves to 11-3 and 3-2 in NCAC play, while Hiram falls to 8-6 and 3-3 in conference play.
The Tigers dominated from the jump, going on an 11-0 run across the first five minutes of play. The Terriers' Doug Sartain and Dushawn Hill eventually stopped DePauw's run at the 14-minute mark, but DePauw's offense kept finding the bottom of the net. A series of back-to-back layups by
Billy Bach, followed by a kick-out three to
Kyle Lillwitz, ballooned the Tigers' lead to 21 with 9:27 left in the first half.
At the half, DePauw led Hiram 45-28, with
Camden Brown and Lillwitz already scoring in the double-digits. In the second half, the Tigers and Terriers traded baskets for the first 10 minutes of the second half; however, DePauw's lead proved too much for Hiram, and the Terries got no closer than 20 the rest of the game.
Five Tigers finished the afternoon in double digits, with
Grant Gohmann leading the charge with 13. Brown finished the day with 11 points and a career-high ten rebounds for a double-double, while teammate Bach tallied a career-high ten points.
Sam Jacobs put up 11 points and two steals, while Lillwitz added 10 points and five rebounds.
Patrick Joyce created some offense for the Tigers leading the team with five assists.
Trent Jakacki paced Hiram with 15 points and three steals, while the Terriers' Noah Adams and Ivan Yang pulled down six rebounds apiece.
DePauw shot 48.1 percent from the field and were 11-of-22 from behind the arc, while Hiram shot 29.4 percent from the floor and were 5-of-30 from long range. The Tigers held a 45-39 edge on the board and moved the ball well, recording 16 assists compared to the Terriers' eight.
The Tigers continue conference play on Wednesday, Jan. 11, when they host Oberlin College in Neal Fieldhouse for a 6 p.m.
