HIRAM, Ohio – January 6, 2024 – Hiram men's basketball returned home for the first time in 2024 on Saturday afternoon at Price Gymnasium, hoping to win in front of its home crowd after beating Hilbert in mid-December behind a 46-point performance from Trent Jakacki.

The Terriers would lose to DePauw, 89-73, but Jakacki delivered another impressive performance and Hiram was within striking distance throughout the game despite the loss.

Jakacki finished with 26 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block. The Hiram, Ohio native now has a season scoring average that sits at 24.8 PPG, which will rank among the top-3 in all of Division III at the end of the day.

Only Hall of Famer Rod Swartz has averaged more PPG in a single season in Hiram program history.

Dushawn Hill and Brock Makrancy had the shooter's touch with 9 points each – all of which came on 3-pointers – while Manuel Devora Violan spearheaded the defense with a trio of steals. For the game, Hiram had a better FG pct than its opposition (43.3% to 42.6%).

Hiram made three consecutive 3-pointers in the first quarter to take a 15-7 lead with 14:14 remaining. Jakacki had two of those deep shots, bringing the Price Gymnasium crowd to an early roar. Hill and Tristan Martin-Marshall would later make a pair of 3-pointers to regain a 7-point advantage near the midway point in the half.

The first half continued to be a back-and-forth affair before DePauw went on a 16-2 run to end the period, which was capped off by a Reph Stevenson jump shot at the buzzer.

Jakacki scored 7 of Hiram's first 11 points in the second half and eventually finished with 17 points during that span. The Terriers cut it to a 6-point game with 13:57 to play on a Devora Violan layup, but could not trim the margin any closer for the remainder of the contest.

DePauw's Kyle Lillwitz led the road team with 20 points, which included a game-high 5 3-pointers.

Hiram will look to return to the win column on Wednesday, when it hosts Wooster at 7 p.m. inside Price Gymnasium in Hiram, Ohio.