Tigers Just Miss Second Monumental Upset Of 2012-13 Season

After taking down Mount Union in December, Wittenberg had No. 1-ranked DePauw in its crosshairs until the final minutes.

Sarah Skidmore was one of three players to lead Wittenberg with 10 points against No. 1-ranked DePauw. Photo by Erin Pence
Sarah Skidmore was one of three players to lead Wittenberg with 10 points against No. 1-ranked DePauw. Photo by Erin Pence
February 13, 2013
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SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – The Wittenberg women's basketball team nearly pulled off a most unusual feat Wednesday, but the Tigers were unable to hang on down the stretch in a 54-46 loss to the No. 1 ranked DePauw Tigers.

DePauw has sailed through the 2012-13 schedule without a loss, and the Tigers have not lost a league game in two years as a member of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). Wittenberg, which previously stunned then-No. 2 ranked Mount Union on Dec. 30, fell to 11-13 overall and 7-8 in the NCAC after putting a tremendous scare into the visiting Tigers.

Wittenberg scored the first six points of the game, but DePauw battled back to take a 25-22 lead at halftime, keyed by a three-pointer by Kathleen Molloy with 33 seconds left before the intermission. Wittenberg senior Sarah Skidmore (Troy, Ohio/Miami East) answered with a three-pointer in the first minute of the second half to set the stage for a hard-fought final 20 minutes.

The difference between national championship contenders and teams like Wittenberg that are in hot pursuit is the way the top teams close out games. The host Tigers pulled to within one point with 2:31 remaining on a free throw by sophomore Enri Small (Columbus, Ohio/Columbus School for Girls), but DePauw outscored Wittenberg 9-2 down the stretch.

Over the final two minutes, DePauw scored on five of its final seven possessions while holding Wittenberg to just one field goal.

The host Tigers shot 38.5 percent from the field while limiting their visitors to a season-low 29.5 percent shooting performance. Two stats jump off the final box score, however – DePauw held a 41-32 rebounding advantage while pulling down a whopping 19 offensive boards, and the visiting Tigers forced six more turnovers in the game than they committed.

Wittenberg put three players in double figures offensively as sophomore Katelyn Haralamos (Maineville, Ohio/Kings), junior Amber Rice (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) and Skidmore each finished with 10 points, followed closely by Small with eight tallies.