Hamilton led much of the first half and was ahead 27-22 before DePauw closed the half with a 10-0 run to take a 32-27 lead at the break. DePauw extended the lead to seven early in the second half before the Continentals scored seven straight to knot the score for the first of seven second-half ties.
DePauw took its biggest lead of the contest at 56-48 after Brian Oilar's layup with 6:35 remaining capped an 8-0 run and the Tigers still led 65-60 on Tony James' jumper with 1:49 remaining.
Hamilton's Jay Simpson closed the gap to 65-63 with a three-pointer with 1:32 remaining and then tied the game on a layup with 53 seconds left after the Continentals gained possession following a DePauw offensive foul. Simpson missed the free throw and failed to complete the three-point play, but the Tigers couldn't convert on their offensive possession.
Simpson then hit two free throws with 8.6 seconds left, but Hamilton fouled Sakel with 4.6 seconds remaining and he converted both free throws to knot the game at 67-67. Following a pair of DePauw timeouts, the Continentals turned the ball over on the inbounds. Brian Oilar's three-point attempt with one second left was off the mark and the teams went to an extra session.
In overtime, Hamilton's Harlee Wood opened with a three and the Continentals never trailed as they hit five-of-seven field goal tries including all three three-point attempts.
Sakel led the Tigers with 17 points, while Matt McDonald added 14 followed by Tony James with 13 and Austin Brown with 11. Brown led DePauw with seven rebounds and James dished out four assists and recorded three steals.
Wood paced the Continentals with 23 points, while Tsakani Ngobeni added 15 and a game-high nine rebounds. Simpson added 11 in the win.
DePauw shot 48.1 percent from the floor including 57.1 percent in the second half, while Hamilton hit 56.6 percent. Hamilton outrebounded DePauw 28-27 in the game that featured nine ties and 12 lead changes.
In the third-place game, Haverford never trailed in picking up the 13-point victory over Dallas. Ray Brown scored 15 points, while Ben McDowell added 14. Jason Bassett paced the Crusaders with 13 points and Robert Nickell added 12.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Tsakani Ngobeni, Hamilton (MVP)
Harlee Wood, Hamilton
Reid Sakel, DePauw
Ray Brown, Haverford
Jason Bassett, Dallas
DePauw University vs Hamilton College 12/30/06 3 pm at Tampa Preparatory School; Tampa, Fla. At Tampa Preparatory School; Tampa, Fla. HAMILTON COLLEGE 85, DEPAUW UNIVERSITY 77 DEPAUW UNIVERSITY (9-2) Reid Sakel 4-9 6-8 17; Matt McDonald 5-6 4-6 14; Tony James 5-9 2-6 13; Austin Brown 4-10 3-3 11; Brian Oilar 4-7 0-0 9; Stephen Schott 2-7 4-7 8; Mike Moore 1-2 0-0 3; Ryan Werntz 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 26-54 19-30 77. HAMILTON COLLEGE (7-1) Harlee Wood 8-10 4-5 23; Tsakani Ngobeni 6-13 3-5 15; Jay Simpson 3-7 4-7 11; Dave Alston 3-8 0-0 9; Giorgi Chavleishvili 3-4 3-3 9; Zarrette Rogers 3-3 2-2 8; Nick Jones 3-6 1-3 8; Ramunas Rozgys 1-2 0-0 2; Rob Toste 0-0 0-0 0; Rich Kohnke 0-0 0-0 0; Joe Manns 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-53 17-25 85. DePauw University............. 32 35 10 - 77 Hamilton College.............. 27 40 18 - 85 3-point goals--DePauw University 6-20 (Reid Sakel 3-6; Mike Moore 1-2; Tony James 1-4; Brian Oilar 1-2; Ryan Werntz 0-3; Austin Brown 0-3), Hamilton College 8-18 (Dave Alston 3-6; Harlee Wood 3-3; Nick Jones 1-3; Jay Simpson 1-2; Ramunas Rozgys 0-1; Tsakani Ngobeni 0-3). Fouled out--DePauw University-Austin Brown; Mike Moore, Hamilton College-Harlee Wood; Nick Jones. Rebounds--DePauw University 27 (Austin Brown 7), Hamilton College 28 (Tsakani Ngobeni 9). Assists--DePauw University 12 (Tony James 4), Hamilton College 9 (Giorgi Chavleishvili 2; Zarrette Rogers 2). Total fouls--DePauw University 28, Hamilton College 29. Technical fouls--DePauw University-None, Hamilton College-None. A-125 Tampa Bay Shootout Championship Game DePauw ranked 22nd in Division III All-tournament team: MVP Tsakani Ngobeni (Hamilton), Harlee Wood (Hamilton) Reid Sakel (DePauw), Ray rown (Haverford), Jason Bassett (Dallas)