No. 23 DePauw got 18 points and 15 rebounds from Tommy Fernitz as the Tigers managed to hold off the Denison Big Red, 68-63, from Livingston Gymnasium.

DePauw shot 61 percent in the first half while knocking down 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.  That resulted in a 39-28 halftime lead for the visiting Tigers.  In the second half, Denison's defense clamped down and with 7:19 to play, they trailed by only six.

The key sequence in the game would come on a string of three consecutive offensive rebounds by DePauw that ended with a layup by Fernitz, which put his team back up nine with 6:35 remaining.

The game would remain a three possession contest until Denison's Darius White knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:41 left, making the score 66-60 in favor of DePauw.  A steal by Briggs King and a layup at the other end got Denison to within four at 66-62.

DePauw would run down the shot clock on its next possession but Connor Rich's 3-point try came up short, with the rebound coming to David Meurer.  With 16 seconds left, Denison's Alex Longi went to the free throw line where he split a pair, trimming the deficit to three.  Forced to foul, Denison sent DePauw's Rich to the line where he would proceed to split the pair, but in doing so he gave his team a four-point lead and that would be enough to secure DePauw's ninth conference victory of the season.

Denison outscored DePauw 35-29 in the second half and the 6'9" Fernitz proved to be a handful inside.  The Tigers held a 37-28 advantage on the glass and Fernitz was the difference as five of his game-high 12 rebounds came on the offensive end.

The Big Red got 17 points, five rebounds and three assists from Meurer while King followed with 16 points, five rebounds, and three blocked shots.

Denison falls to 8-10 overall and 4-7 in the North Coast Athletic Conference, while DePauw improves to 14-4 and 9-2 in conference play.  The Big Red will return to action on Saturday (Feb. 1) when they travel to No. 18 Wittenberg for a 3 p.m. tip-off.