Box Score DePauw 77, Illinois Wesleyan 65 - Box Score

GREENCASTLE, Ind. - The No. 3-ranked Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team lost its season opener, 77-65, to No. 10-ranked DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., on Friday, Nov. 19.

The Titans lost their first game of the year for the first time since the 2005-06 season, also to DePauw, 72-60.

IWU led by five at 7-2 early in the game but DePauw scored the next nine points to claim an 11-7 lead and held onto the lead the rest of the way. IWU trailed by a 36-24 score at halftime and battled back to get as close as eight points at 61-53 with 6:52 to play in the game. But the Tigers scored the next eight points and led by 16 at 69-53 with 5:22 to play.

Senior Hope Schulte led IWU with 17 points while senior Stacey Arlis scored 14 and had seven rebounds.

Senior Nikki Preston and junior Olivia Lett each scored 11 and junior Brittany Hasselbring also got seven rebounds.

The Titans shot .473 from the field (26 of 55) and connected on 30 percent of their 3-point tries (6 of 20). The Tigers made 28 of 59 shots from the floor for a .475 percentage and made 6 of 20 from beyond the arc (.400). Both teams suffered from the free throw line as IWU made only 7 of 16 (.438) and DePauw made just 15 of 31 (.484).

The Tigers handled IWU on the boards, 43-31, and got 20 points from Brooke Osborne, 15 points out of Katie Aldrich and 12 points and a game-high nine rebounds from Ellie Pearson.

Illinois Wesleyan stays in Greencastle to meet defending national champion Washington U. on Saturday at 2 p.m. Central time.

The Titans have not lost two straight games since the end of the 2006-07 season (54-49 at Wheaton in the conference tournament and 86-59 vs. Carroll in the NCAA tournament first round) and have not lost two consecutive regular season games since the 2004-05 season (to North Park, 59-50, and Wheaton, 66-36).