Wittenberg Nearly Knocks Off Nationally Ranked DePauw

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The last time DePauw came to Springfield, Ohio, the Tigers were ranked 13th in the nation before losing 69-64 to Wittenberg on Dec. 14, 2003. This time, however, the Tigers of DePauw came in ranked No. 6 and managed to escape with a victory, 65-61, after surviving a scare from the homestanding Tigers of Wittenberg.

Wittenberg dropped to 5-6 overall on the season, while DePauw improved to 10-2. The records are quite deceiving, as the fast-improving Wittenberg Tigers, who closed the nonconference portion of the 2004-05 schedule, were very much on level with DePauw.

The visitors jumped out to a 9-0 lead to open the game, but Wittenberg settled down and slowly worked that advantage until a 7-0 burst was capped by senior guard Emilie Schmid's three-pointer at the 5:26 mark of the first half and gave the hosts their first lead at 20-19. The game was tied at 28 at halftime, and Wittenberg came out with a 6-1 run to open the final 20 minutes. However, DePauw came right back thanks to the hot hand of guard Sarah Zondor, who drilled a conventional three-point play and then three straight three-pointers to give the visitors a lead they would never relinquish at 41-38 with 13:50 remaining. Wittenberg got the lead down to one point at the 4:53 mark on a jumper by sophomore guard Megan Miller, but DePauw held on thanks to clutch free throw shooting and several missed offensive opportunities for the host Tigers.

The key to the game, of all things, was free throw shooting. After making just 1-of-7 from the charity stripe in the first half, the visiting Tigers reeled off 17-of-18 free throws in the second half, including 9-of-10 in the final 4:35 of the game. Wittenberg was just 8-of-15 from the free throw line for the game.

Wittenberg won the rebounding battle 42-33, including 20 boards on the offensive end. Sophomore post Kathy Hittle had a fine game with 14 points and 10 rebounds, leading all players in the latter category. Schmid, coming off her Tournament MVP honors in the Kiwanis-Wittenberg Holiday Classic, added 11 points and five rebounds, and Miller chipped in with nine points in 16 minutes off the bench. Also of note was the play of junior guard Carrie Jones, who logged 17 quality minutes off the bench and finished with four points, five rebounds and four assists.

DePauw picked up a game-high 21 points and seven rebounds from Amy Argetsinger, who was a force in the post for which the host Tigers had no answer. Zondor added 16 points, 12 of which came in that game-breaking flurry midway through the second half.