Delaware, Ohio-  A late 17-10 run by Ohio Wesleyan in the second half led to the DePauw men's basketball team's third conference loss of the season. The Tigers drop to 7-7 overall and 2-3 in North Coast Athletic Conference play, while the Battling Bishops improve to 5-9 for the season in 2-3.

Throughout the first half, DePauw maintained a lead over the Battling Bishops for over 15 minutes, resulting in just two ties and two lead changes. The Tigers' presence in the paint kept DePauw on top for most of the first half, outshooting Ohio Wesleyan 14-4 in the key while holding a 26-23 edge over the Battling Bishops in rebounds. Despite holding an 11-point lead with 3:01 left in the first, the Battling Bishops fought their way back into the game, closing out the half with a 6-2 run to get within two points heading into halftime.

Neither team could pull away with a definitive lead at the start of the second half, foreshadowing a tightly contested second half. Reph Stevenson continued to dominate in the paint, adding seven of his 11 points in the second half of play. However, the Battling Bishops would eventually find its footing from behind the arc and free-throw line late in the game. Ohio Wesleyan's Isaac Ward hit back-to-back three-pointers with under two left in the game, solidifying a five-point lead as time expired. DePauw's Sam Jacobs attempted to lead the Tigers' comeback with under 20 seconds left but fell short following made free-throws by Henry Hinkle to give the Battling Bishops a 66-61 victory.

Jacobs led DePauw with 23 points, while Stevenson and Camden Brown scored 11. Stevenson tallied his fourth double-double after grabbing 11 rebounds for the evening, while Grant Niego finished the night with seven rebounds.

Ward paced Ohio Wesleyan with 19 points and two assists, and Hinkle added 15 points and led the Battling Bishops in assists with three.

DePauw shot 33.8 percent from the field to Ohio Wesleyan's 32.8 percent, but the Battling Bishops had an edge over the Tigers from the arc, with five of its eight total three-pointers coming in the second half. Though DePauw had a 50-41 rebounding edge, Ohio Wesleyan forced five steals and earned 15 points to the Tigers six off of turnovers.

DePauw remains on the road and travels to Hiram College on Saturday, Jan. 6, to face the Terriers at 4 p.m.