GREENCASTLE, Ind. – The 9th-ranked Ohio Wesleyan women's basketball team traveled to DePauw on Wednesday, aiming to win their fourth straight and build momentum down the final stretch. The Battling Bishops never found their footing, as the Tigers took an early 9-6 lead and led the rest of the way. A late push saw Ohio Wesleyan trim the deficit to two with under two minutes to play, but the comeback attempt fell short in a 60-56 loss. 

With a layup in the third quarter, Alyssa Griner hit the 1000-point milestone, becoming the 21st player in school history to do so. The feat puts her in elite company alongside teammate Macy Miller as the program's newest member of the 1000-point club.

OWU falls to 20-3 overall, with a 11-2 mark in NCAC competition. DePauw improves to 15-9, and 8-5 in conference play. 

The Red and Black opened the contest with a slight 6-4 lead, but the momentum swung toward the Tigers moments later, as DePauw found their rhythm and never looked back. DePauw pieced together a 11-4 run over the next four minutes, and ended the first quarter with a 17-14 lead over the Bishops. The Tigers carried their momentum into the second quarter, as they orchestrated a 7-2 run to create a sizable advantage. OWU responded with an 8-2 run of their own, closing the gap and pulling back within a single possession. A last-second triple allowed the Tigers to regain separation and pad their lead to 30-24 at the break.

Coming out of the break, Griner laid it in to reach the 1000-point mark over the span of her career. With 3:14 remaining in the quarter, Maddie Ebbert buried a jumper to knot things at 37. However, DePauw outscored the Red and Black 8-4 over the remaining three minutes to take a 45-41 lead into the final period. The Tigers built on their lead in the beginning of the fourth, scoring seven unanswered points to take their largest lead of the day, 52-41. OWU refused to go quietly, as Mia Guscoff fueled a 10-2 surge by burying a pair of triples, pulling the Bishops back into contention. With 1:22 left to play. Kendall Dieringer knocked down a three to cut the margin to 58-56. The Tigers turned the ball over twice in the final minute, giving OWU multiple chances to tie the contest or ultimately take the lead, but the Bishops were unable to convert. After fouling to save time, DePauw buried two free throws to put the contest out of reach. Ohio Wesleyan ultimately fell by a narrow 60-56 margin.

THE NUMBERS
The Bishops shot 38.7% from the field, going 24-for-62. The squad dominated the paint, outscoring DePauw 32-16 down low.

Alyssa Griner finished the night with 12 points, pushing her career total to 1,004 and establishing her as the 21st member of the program's 1000-point club. Griner added two rebounds and two steals. 

Maddie Ebbert also tallied 12 points, going 5-of-7 from the field and knocking down two free throws. She added four rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

Macy Miller rounded out the trio of 12-point scorers, and added six rebounds.

Mia Guscoff scored six points, courtesy of two clutch triples, and dished out three assists. 

Kendall Dieringer tallied six points and three assists.

Katie Neuhart had four points, four rebounds, and three steals.

Nora Johns and Carly Lehman both recorded two points. Johns added three steals, two assists, and two rebounds.

UP NEXT
The Red and Black finish the regular season on Saturday, as they travel to No. 10/7 Denison. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m.