2006 SCAC MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
SEMIFINAL ROUND

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - DePauw University came out on fire, shooting  60.7% (17-28) in opening a 47-18 halftime lead and ended any chance of the tournament's eight-seed Rhodes College from advancing any further. The Lynx saw their Cinderella run end Saturday afternoon in the men's second semifinal contest as fourth-seeded DePauw earned its first-ever SCAC tournament championship appearance with the 74-54 victory.

DePauw (14-12) plays Centre at Noon CT tomorrow with the SCAC men's basketball title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament on the line.

Junior guard Reid Sakel had 14 of his game-high 21 points in the decisive first half and filled up the basket to the tune of 8 of 10 shooting, including 5 of 7 from distance.

Sophomore post Stephen Schott contributed 14 points and six rebounds and senior guard Alex Stewart had 10 points - all in the first half - to go along with seven steals. First-year guard Mike Moore dished out a game-high eight assists.

Rhodes, which ended its season with an overall mark of 14-13, hit on just 8 of 35 attempts (22.9%) from the floor in the first half, including a dismal 0 of 13 effort from three-point range. Down by 29 at the break, the Lynx never got closer than 17 in the second half.

Seniors Rami Almefty and Matthew Jakes ended their careers with the Lynx with 12 points each. First-year guard Cory Smith finished with a team-high 15 points.