GREENCASTLE, Ind. (February 7, 2024) – With only one week remaining in the regular season for the Big Red, the Denison University men's basketball team outscored the Tigers 13-9 in overtime and earned a 75-71 road win over DePauw University on Wednesday night at Neal Fieldhouse.

After recording a double-double during his Senior Day just four days earlier, Emmett Burnside scored on each of Denison's first three possessions of the game. Burnside first connected on a 3-pointer from the side, then used a pump fake from behind the line to score a driving layup, and then hit from three again on a hesitation shot from the top of the key.

Trevor Reed then got into the action with an early 3-pointer from the top of the key as well to make it an 11-0 start for the Big Red in the first three and a half minutes of the game.

DePauw proceeded to go on a 9-2 run to get to within 13-9 of the Big Red a little bit over eight minutes in, but a 9-0 Denison run both beginning and ending with a layup by Cameron Smith made it 22-9 Big Red with under nine minutes remaining in the first half.

A long two-point jumper by Nick Heath made it a 15-point (26-11) Denison lead, ending what was a 13-2 stretch that gave the Big Red their largest lead of the game with 5:53 left in the half, but then Denison missed seven shots in a row while DePauw scored 10 straight points and ultimately went on a 14-1 run to get to within two (27-25) with under two minutes on the clock in the opening period.

Denison was finally able to stop DePauw's run by converting on its first field goal in over four and a half minutes as a 3-pointer by Tyler Miller with a minute and a half left started a 7-0 run for the Big Red to end the first half.

The final bucket in the opening half was a layup by Burnside to give Denison a nine-point lead (34-25) at the break.

Coming out of the locker room for the second half, the Big Red extended their run to 11-0 as Burnside found Gates Flynn on the backdoor cut for a layup on Denison's first possession, and then the next Big Red possession ended with a layup by Scotty Dean to make it a 38-25 Denison lead.

That would, however, be Denison's largest lead of the second half as DePauw got back to within single digits (40-31) after two free throws just two and a half minutes into the period.

The Big Red lead then stayed between five and nine points until a 10-0 Tigers' run starting and ending with 3-pointers by Caleb Washington put DePauw ahead (50-49) for the first time in the game with 8:25 remaining.

Denison answered right back with a 3-pointer by Kellon Smith to retake the lead, and then after DePauw took a 56-52 lead with five and a half minutes left, capping a 16-3 Tigers' run, the Big Red got a turnaround jumper by Flynn to cut their deficit in half before a steal and a fastbreak dunk by Reed tied it with a little bit over four minutes still left to play.

After two free throws for the Tigers, Reed connected on his second 3-pointer from the top of the key to put the Big Red back in front (59-58) with just over three and a half minutes to go, but from there DePauw retook the lead with a second-chance layup on its next possession while Reed proceeded to miss a pair of 3-pointers trying to give Denison the lead back and then committed a turnover in the final two minutes.

That led to a tough layup by DePauw with under a minute and a half left to make it a three-point Tigers' lead (62-59), but another assist by Burnside on a backdoor cut led to an and-one by Miller with 17 seconds left to tie the game and force overtime.

In overtime, a crafty lay-in by Burnside tied it at 66-66 just over two minutes in before a free throw by Reed with 1:49 on the clock. Reed then followed that up with a steal, which led to a tough layup by Miller with 1:11 left, and then Reed secured the ensuing defensive rebound on a missed 3-pointer by DePauw trying to tie it and hit a pair of free throws to make it 71-66 Big Red with 37 seconds remaining.

Dean was then 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the final 17 seconds to help close out the victory.

Denison was led by four players in double-figure scoring as C. Smith had a team-high 15 points while Burnside recorded his second-straight double-double and filled up the stat sheet with 13 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

Reed matched Burnside with 13 points and added nine rebounds while Miller scored 12 points and was responsible for the and-one that sent the game into overtime.

With the win, Denison improved to 13-10 overall and 9-5 in the North Coast Athletic Conference while DePauw fell to below .500 overall (11-12) and dropped to 6-8 in the conference. In addition to being the third season in a row that the Big Red and the Tigers have come away with wins on each other's home floor, the win allowed Denison to snap its current three-game losing streak and avoid being swept by DePauw for the first time since 2018-19.

Next up for Denison will be its final road game of the regular season as the Big Red battle at Kenyon College starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 10, in Gambier, Ohio.