Greencastle, IN – The Oberlin College women's basketball team gave the 10^th-ranked Tigers of DePauw all they could handle but, in the end, the longtime national power eked out a 55-50 win over the Yeowomen on Saturday afternoon.
 
No more than two possessions separated the two foes throughout the 40-minute affair to determine the outright lead in the North Coast Athletic Conference.
 
Alyson Jefferson led the Yeowomen effort with 17 points while Gina Lombard chipped in with 10 in the setback. Camille Zinaich nearly notched her third double-double, ripping down a game- and career-high 15 rebounds to accompany her nine points.
 
In the closing moments of the fourth quarter a backdoor layup by Lombard off a beautiful feed from Zinaich trimmed the Tigers' lead down to 52-50 with 2:27 left on the clock. Oberlin would come away with a critical stop with 58 ticks left as Bryana Woodard blocked Maeve Sumerville's shot but a critical miscue by the Yeowomen resulted in an over-and-back call to give the ball back to DePauw.
 
The mental error allowed the Tigers to tack on an additional free throw to increase the lead out to three with 19 seconds to play. Out of a timeout, Head Coach Stephany Dunmyer drew up a beautifully designed play that got Lombard open for a potential game-tying 3-pointer but her shot attempt was off the mark and Maura Fitzgerald would cash in two clutch free throws to secure the victory.
 
In the early going, a traditional 3-point play from Zinaich gave the Yeowomen an 11-9 lead and they would ultimately carry a slim 15-13 advantage into the second quarter.
 
The Tigers used a 10-2 run to open up a 23-17 lead midway through the second quarter but the Yeowomen closed out the opening half scoring eight straight points to earn a 25-23 cushion at the break.
 
After going down by four, a jumper from Lombard evened the count at 31 at the 6:28 mark of the third and her long-distance strike a few minutes later put the Yeowomen out in front 35-33. The Tigers responded by reclaiming a five-point lead late in the stanza, but senior Sammy Spanier would connect from beyond the arc in the final seconds to shrink the Tigers advantage down to 42-40 with one quarter left to play.
 
In the front portion of the fourth quarter, a jumper from Zinaich knotted the game at 45 and later a triple-hit from Lombard tied the battle at 48-48 with 6:05 left to play to setup the enthralling finish for both sides.
 
The loss was the first of the season for the Yeowomen as they dropped back to 8-1 and 3-1 in the NCAC. The Tigers remained unblemished at 9-0 and 4-0 in league play.
 
In a game that featured 11 ties and 14 lead changes, both sides shot well below their season averages with Oberlin checking in at 34.5 percent (20-of-58), which included a subpar 21.4 (2-of-14) showing from beyond the arc. DePauw, who hoisted seven more, and made six more, free throws than the Yeowomen, finished at just 31.7 percent (19-of-60) from the floor.
 
Oberlin returns home to host Chatham University in a non-conference affair on Wednesday night at 6 p.m.