Issue date: 2/23/10 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Alex Turco Senior guard Tony James looks for an opening during DePauw's game against Birmingham Southern University on Sunday. The game was the last of regular season play for the year.

For four Tigers, the men's basketball game Sunday afternoon was the last time they would play in Neal Fieldhouse. It was a great ending to the home careers of Tom Callen, Tony James, Matt Bennett and David Gray.

The weekend started out strong when the Tigers held visiting Rhodes College to a season-low 36 points. The Tigers went into halftime down 19-20, but they came out strong and ended up posting a 53-36 victory.

"We stayed together both games, especially on Friday when we weren't hitting shots," said junior Drew Wills. "We all realized how important it was to protect our court."

The team took on conference leader Birmingham-Southern University Sunday afternoon and continued to play with unity. The team stayed focused, never trailing by more than nine points. After letting the Panthers control much of the first half, DePauw took the lead once again five minutes into the second half and never relented. The team tied their season-high in points by beating the Panthers 92-82.

"The games went well," Gray said. "It was a great way to close out a successful four years here at DePauw. I've had a great and memorable college career."

Gray set the DePauw University record for most blocked shots in a career at 106. He ended with a .483 field-goal percentage and a .496 free-throw percentage. Gray added to his free throw percentage by making six of seven free throws in the win against Birmingham-Southern.

James started all 24 games this season. He finished his career with 266 assists and 148 rebounds. James had a .452 field-goal percentage and a .793 free-throw percentage. He went 13-for-13 from the charity stripe Sunday.

After transferring from Valparaiso University before his junior year, Bennett fought injury and played only 12 games in his DePauw career, but ended with a .417 field-goal percentage and a .667 free-throw percentage.

"For being here only two years, it was a great experience to play with and get to know my fellow seniors," Bennett said. "As a team, it was key for us to get these two wins going into the conference tournament with a little more confidence and momentum"

Callen came back this season after injury last spring. Though he did not play in as many games has he had in previous seasons, he was a large contribution to the team's strong season. Callen had a .579 field-goal percentage and shot .624 from the free-throw line.

The Tigers will make a run for the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament title this weekend in Jackson, Miss. DePauw plays Southwestern University Friday at 8 p.m.

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