Riley Mont put in 10 points,12 rebounds, and 7 assists in Friday's afternoon game against Berea as the Tigers of DePauw Women's Basketball (22-7) prevailed in a highly contested matchup against the Mountainers (24-4) 0-0 to progress to the second round of the Division 3 Women's Basketball Tournament.
Coach Kris Huffman and The Tigers entered Friday's contest undefeated and with a crowd behind them made up of four home wins on the spin on the road to this first round of the NCAA D3 Women's Basketball Tournament. The last one was against Ohio Wesleyan, where the DePauw Tigers were declared NCAC Tournament Champion. Berea Head Coach Trent Milby and his squad entered the matchup on a high after two consecutive wins made up of 74-48 and 80-60 against Maryville College and Belhaven University, respectively to win their respective CCS Conference Tournament and reach this first-thround.
The last time these teams faced was more than a decade ago on December 11th, 1998, when DePauw was victorious and dominant, winning 89-51. Berea was hoping to rewrite history but to no prevail as it was the Tigers who came out with the victory and as champions once again.
Coach Huffman gave her initial reaction after the match against Berea.
"Greateful, first round game there all hard from here on out. Berea had the ability to score inside, shot the three, and take you off the bounce, and so they offer this trifecta which was hard to guard. So, we are grateful for the win and excited about playing tomorrow."
The first half was a highly contested one.
Thefirst quarter was highly tense and contested, but a dominant performance by the Tigers nonetheless, with DePauw leading against Berea 15-9. The Tigers led in rebounds and assists, 14 to 8 and 4 to 1, respectively, while both teams had one steal. The Tigers were performing because of the exceptional performance by Ava Hassel, who had 3 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists. While Mountainers's Drea Satori and Atyia Moss were giving one heck of a first-quarter performance, providing 6 points and 3 points plus 1 assist, respectively. The second quarter then proved to be another tense and closer affair as the quarter ended 19-17 in favor of DePauw, and the half ended with the Tigers leading 34-26. The second quarter proved to be one where Ainsley Boras shined, finishing with 5 points and 5 rebounds, while for Berea, it was Dailyn Spalding who shined with 5 rebounds and 1 assist.
The second half cemented another great win for the Tigers.
The second half proved to do nothing but cement the Tiger's win, as they began the second half with another dominant performance in the third quarter maintaining and extending their lead to 53-39. Ainsley Boras was the main contributor for the Tigers in the third quarter as she finished the quarter with 7 points and 8 assists. While for the Mountainers, it was Lynkaylah James as she finished with 12 points and 5 rebounds. The fourth quarter and game finished with a final score of 74-52, with Ava Hazeel providing quite a performance finishing with 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Coach Huffman spoke at the end of the game to speak on the amazing team effort the Tigers had throughout the match and how every player pitched in to help the team win.
"I've liked our depth, we've needed our depth all season long. It gives a chance for someone, sometimes someone new to step up every game. You know Alina had the big free throws and the big bucket against Ohio Wesleyan to seal that deal and she had a big bucket in the first half, and that's just kind of who this team has been all year long. Where we've got some options and kind of a spark plug off the bench."
"Star of The Game"
The Star of Friday's game had to be once again none other than Junior, the point guard from Portsmouth, Ohio, Ava Hassel. Hassel finished the game with an astonishing performance of 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. She spoke to her thoughts on her overall performance throughout the game.
"I think I went three from four from the three-point line, so you know obviously I had some open shots and, so I took them and they were falling and that's always great when the shots are falling and I hope the same goes for tomorrow. And I think our team got out in transition which really helped build my assist because I like to help kick it up the floor. When we're out in transition we can really make some easy baskets there which makes it nice. It's always fun whenever teammates are running floor and we're running in transition it just makes offense easier when we get a quick bucket like that."
Hassel also spoke to how the Tigers will prepare for their game against Hope, a tough team who have similarities to DePauw.
"So, we'll get right back to work and we have to get a good night sleep and fuel tonight then we'll hit the scout. The coaches will come up with a game plan which I'm sure will be great and we'll be excited to execute it."
What's Next?
The DePauw Tigers will now look to prepare for their second-round matchup of the Division 3 Women's Basketball Tournament against Hope (25-3) tonight, Saturday, March 2nd, at 8 p.m.
Berea should be proud of their accomplishments in winning their respective conference tournament and reaching the first round of the D3 Tournament, these are astounding feats. They will now look to replicate their accomplishments and r aim to go further in the following season 2024-2025.
(Picture taken by Kazuki Maehira)
(Shown in photo: #23 Caroline Condra and #13 Alina Prusko)
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