Box Score
Ohio Wesleyan 73, DePauw 71

Senior guard Henry Hinkle (Powell/Olentangy Liberty) beat the final buzzer with a jumper from the lane to lift Ohio Wesleyan over DePauw in North Coast Athletic Conference action on Wednesday at Branch Rickey Arena.

The win clinches the No. 4 seed for Ohio Wesleyan in next week's NCAC tournament.  If Ohio Wesleyan and DePauw end up tied in the standings after the conclusion of regular-season play on Saturday, Ohio Wesleyan would win a tiebreaker based on head-to-head results this season.

DePauw's Joe Smith hit a jumper and a 3-pointer during the closing minutes of the first half to give the visitors a 41-32 lead at the intermission, and the Tigers extended that margin early in the second half, leading by as many as 12 points when an Andrew Ozlowski lay-in gave DePauw a 49-37 lead.

The Tigers still held a double-digit lead when a Brady Kunka lay-in made it 58-48 with 9:31 to go, but Ohio Wesleyan held DePauw scoreless for the next 3-plus minutes while narrowing the gap to 58-54 on a 3-point play by freshman guard Quinn Hart (Dublin/Coffman).

Ohio Wesleyan trailed, 65-61, after a pair of free throws by Reph Stevenson with 2:26 remaining, but junior guard Isaac Ward (Circleville/Logan Elm) sank a pair of free throws and a steal by freshman wing Jake Lowman (Delaware/Hayes) set up a 3-point play by Hinkle that gave the Bishops a 66-65 lead with 1:45 left, Ohio Wesleyan's first lead since Ward's lay-in with 8:32 remaining in the first half.

After the teams traded free throws, DePauw's Sam Jacobs sank a pair from the stripe with :47 remaining to give the Tigers a 69-68 lead.

Hinkle answered with a 3-pointer with :34 to go, putting the Bishops up by 2, but the Tigers responded with a short jumper by Billy Bach to even the score at 71 with :15.9 left.

As the clock wound down, Hinkle worked his way into the lane and launched a fadeaway jumper from just in front of the free throw line with less than a second to play, and the ball found the bottom of the net to give the Bishops the win.

Hinkle led the Bishops with 24 points.  Ward finished with 13 and Lowman scored 10.  Fifth-year post Tony Carter (Cleveland/Parma Heights Holy Name) grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds.

Box Score