Yellow Jackets Sports Weekly Recap (Nov. 28- Dec. 4)

By: Brandon Unverferth

Photography: Hanna Young

Women’s Basketball: Wed. Nov. 30 and Sat. Dec. 3

11/30: Manchester University 80 (4-2), Defiance 73 (1-3)

The Defiance College women’s basketball team hosted the Manchester Spartans (HCAC conference opponent) Wednesday evening at the Karl H. Weaner Center for a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference matchup. The starters in this contest included (graduate) Taylor Day, (senior) Taylor Steinbrunner, (senior) Nicole Sims, (junior) Kylie Brinkman, and (junior) Cait Good. Two minutes into the contest, graduate Taylor Day got the scoring started for the Yellow Jackets, as she capitalized on an open layup. Thirty seconds later (7:28 left in the 1st), freshman Mia Shields knocked down a bucket from three-point range to give the Spartans an early 6-2 lead. The Yellow Jackets took their first lead of the contest just past the halfway point of the first quarter (10-9), as senior Lauren Criblez found an open lane to the hoop for a layup. Senior Taylor Steinbrunner scored the final two points of the first quarter for either team, as she splashed a pair of free throws to give the Yellow Jackets a 20-16 lead to start the 2nd quarter. Just like the start of the 1st quarter, graduate Taylor Day got the scoring started for the Yellow Jackets in the 2nd, as she found herself an open lane to the basket for a layup to stretch the lead to six (22-16). With two minutes and forty seconds left in the second quarter, the Spartans found themselves back in the lead, as freshman Hailee Kline knocked down a huge three-pointer. Into the halftime break, Manchester led 37-36. The Spartans built off their momentum from the end of the second quarter, in the early stages of the third quarter, as they were able to put up the first points of the second half off a (freshman) Maddison Smith layup (24 seconds in). Near the midway point of the third quarter (5:45 left), the Yellow Jackets were able to retake the lead off a pair of free throws from senior Lauren Criblez 44-43. The difference in this game occurred in the 4th quarter, as the Spartans went on a massive 11-2 scoring run to take a nine-point lead (70-61) over Defiance with only 6 minutes and 25 seconds left to play. The Yellow Jackets were able to close the gap numerous times in the final six minutes of the contest, but in the end, the Manchester fourth-quarter push was just too much for Defiance to overcome. Most of Defiance’s points were scored in the paint (40) thanks to a 15-point night by senior forward Lauren Criblez. Fifth-year senior Taylor Day, senior Taylor Steinbrunner, and freshman Kalista Friday, each scored 11 points for the Yellow Jackets. Junior McKenzie Cooper narrowly missed double-figures with nine points, while junior Kylie Brinkman hit two of Defiance’s five three-pointers in the contest. Manchester finished with four players in double-digits including freshman Hailee Kline (17), freshman Jessie Ringen (13), graduate Bridget Nash (12), and freshman Mia Shields (11). The Spartans shot 50% (25-50) from the field, while Defiance shot 43.3% (29-67). The Yellow Jackets shot 76.9% (10-13) from the free-throw line, while Manchester shot 63% (17-27). Manchester outrebounded Defiance 39-29. The Defiance defense forced 27 turnovers, compared to Manchester’s 17. Defiance dominated the points in the paint category 40-24.

When junior McKenzie Cooper was asked by The Defender about her thoughts following the conference opener, she expressed, “I think we did a lot of things well. We made some defensive mistakes throughout the night that cost us. Their 3-point shooting killed us and we weren’t able to capitalize off their turnovers. That being said, we’re looking to get back into the win column this weekend and correct our mistakes.“

12/3: Franklin College 58 (2-3), Defiance 51 (1-4)

The Yellow Jackets women’s basketball team welcomed the Franklin Grizzlies to the Karl H. Weaner Center for an HCAC conference showdown. The starters in this contest included (graduate) Taylor Day, (senior) Taylor Steinbrunner, (senior) Nicole Sims, (senior) Lauren Criblez, and (senior) Lexie Sparks. One minute into the contest, graduate Taylor Day got the scoring started for the Yellow Jackets, as she knocked down a pair of free throws following a personal foul from Franklin’s (junior) CiCi Bailey. In the first half, Defiance built up a comfortable lead after a 12-0 scoring run. The early momentum opened up a Defiance lead of 16-6, at the midway point of the first quarter. That run was fueled by a 3-point play via junior Mackenzie Cooper (4:17 left in the 1st), as she splashed home a 15-footer plus a free throw. Senior Taylor Steinbrunner later capitalized on an open three-pointer from the left wing (2:00), which also helped spark the Yellow Jacket scoring run. The Grizzlies were able to knock in a pair of buckets to close the first quarter, which cut the Defiance lead to 16-11. The Grizzlies went on to outscore the Yellow Jackets in the second quarter, 15-12, with the help of a layup by sophomore Taylor Cooney in the final few seconds before halftime. Defiance held a 47-43 lead after three-quarters of play before they went cold in the fourth. The Yellow Jackets only scored four points in the final 10 minutes of the contest, while Franklin was able to put up 15. The Defiance fourth quarter drought was the true difference maker in this game, as the Grizzlies went on to win 58-51. Franklin finished with a pair of players in double-figures including sophomore Taylor Cooney (13) and freshman Lauryn Bates (12). The Grizzlies’ leading scorer on the season, freshman Jordan Coon, was limited to just eight points. Seven Yellow Jackets put up points in this contest including senior Lexie Sparks (12), junior McKenzie Cooper (11), junior Cait Good (8), graduate Taylor Day (6), senior Lauren Criblez (5), senior Taylor Steinbrunner (5), and senior Nicole Sims (4). The Grizzlies shot 42% (21-50) from the field, while Defiance shot 25.5% (14-55). Franklin shot an impressive 50% (7-14) from behind the arc. The Yellow Jackets shot 80.8% (21-26) from the free-throw line, compared to Franklin’s 50% (9-18). Franklin out-rebounded Defiance, 47-29, despite committing 13 more turnovers (25-12).

Men’s Basketball: Wed. Nov. 30 and Sat. Dec. 3

11/30: Manchester University 86 (2-4), Defiance 76 (2-3)

The Defiance College men’s basketball team traveled to Manchester, Indiana, Wednesday evening to kickoff HCAC conference play against the Manchester Spartans. The starters in this contest included (senior) Marell Jordan, (senior) Kiewaun Graham, (sophomore) Clayton McCorkle, (sophomore) Landen Swanner, and (freshman) Evan Park. The Spartans started the game off “hot“ as they scored ten straight points, to open up to a 10-0 early lead. Junior Mitch Mendenhall got the scoring started for Manchester 14 seconds into the game before he followed that up with a jumper from the left wing. One minute later (17:50 left in the 1st), sophomore Logan Willoughby completed the 10-0 scoring run for the Spartans with a bucket from downtown. Sophomore Clayton McCorkle put up the first points of the contest for the Yellow Jackets shortly after the three-minute mark, as he was able to splash home a three-pointer of his own. At the midway point of the first half, Manchester led by 12 (23-11). To end the first half, the Spartans went on a 6-0 scoring run to build up their largest lead of the game at seventeen. In the second half, Defiance was able to trim the Manchester lead down to eight (62-54) with 9 minutes and 23 seconds left, thanks to a step-back jumper from senior Te Jones. Twenty-one seconds later (9:02 left), however, sophomore Bryant Smith was able to stretch the Spartans’ lead back to double-figures (11) as he capitalized on an open three-pointer from the right wing. Defiance continued to ”fight” in the remaining nine minutes, but in the end, Manchester was victorious 86-76. Defiance finished with a pair of players in double-figures including senior Marell Jordan with 15 points and senior Te Jones with 12. Senior Jerome Johnson shot 75% (3-4) from three-point range. Overall, Manchester shot 46% (29-63), compared to the Yellow Jackets’ 38.3% (23-60). Defiance shot 38.7% (12-31) from three-point range, while the Spartans shot 38.2% (13-34). The Spartans outrebounded Defiance 40-38, while the Yellow Jackets held a slight edge in the offensive rebounds category 14-13. Defiance’s bench outscored Manchester’s 38-9. The points in the paint differential played a huge role in the outcome of this contest, as Manchester dominated inside 30-14.

12/3: Franklin College 111 (4-3), Defiance 77 (2-4)

The Yellow Jackets men’s basketball team hosted the Franklin Grizzlies (HCAC conference opponent) at the Karl H. Weaner Center for a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference matchup. The starters in this contest included (senior) Marell Jordan, (senior) Kiewaun Graham, (sophomore) Clayton McCorkle, (sophomore) Landen Swanner, and (sophomore) Jake Segulin. Three-pointers and points after turnovers dug Defiance into a hole against the Grizzlies. In the opening two minutes, Franklin knocked down a quick trio of three-pointers (sophomore Trey Flatt (2) and freshman Nathaniel Hoffman) off two Defiance turnovers, which helped the Grizzlies jump out to an early 9-0 lead. Senior Marell Jordan put up the first points of the contest for the Yellow Jackets. It was all Franklin during the first 20 minutes as the Grizzlies took a 62-33 lead into the halftime break. In the early stages of the second half, Franklin senior Carter Crowe continued off the Grizzlies’ first-half momentum as he connected on back-to-back 3-pointers after each team exchanged triples to start the half. Franklin was able to build up a 37-point lead, (73-36) at the 17:30 mark of the second half before the Yellow Jackets surged back. A 14-2 Defiance run forced a Franklin timeout with 14:10 left in the game. Defiance chipped away further to cut the Franklin advantage to 20, off a (senior) Te Jones layup with 13:50 left, but that was shortly followed by an 8-0 Grizzlies’ scoring run. The run consisted of two straight 3-pointers (sophomore Ryan Bostic and senior Carter Crowe) and a dunk (freshman Nathaniel Hoffman), which pushed the lead back to 28 for Franklin. From that point on, the Yellow Jackets were not able to cut into the Grizzlies’ lead. Franklin finished with four players in double-figures including senior Carter Crowe (30), sophomore Ryan Bostic (17), sophomore Trey Flatt (16), and junior Logan Hudgins (13). Defiance meanwhile finished with a trio of players in double-digits including senior Te Jones (19), senior Marell Jordan (18), and sophomore Landen Swanner (11). The Grizzlies shot 54.7% (41-75) from the field, while Defiance shot 43.3% (29-67). Both teams shot well from behind the arc, as Franklin shot 52.3% (23-44) and the Yellow Jackets shot 50% (13-26). The Grizzlies shot a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe. The points in the paint category was dominated by the Grizzlies 34-22. Bench points came in large numbers for each team, as Franklin had 38 and Defiance had 35. Franklin outrebounded Defiance 38-35.

Wrestling: Tue. Nov. 29, Fri. Dec. 2, and Sat. Dec. 3

11/29: Adrian College 54, Defiance 0 (Adrian College Dual)

The Defiance College wrestling team welcomed the Adrian Bulldogs to the Karl H. Weaner Center Tuesday evening for the Adrian College Dual. In the 125 weight class, Adrian’s (graduate) Zach Phifer won by forfeit, while in the 133 weight class, Adrian sophomore Tyler Davis won by fall (0:57) over Defiance freshman Evan Gray. In the 141 weight class, Adrian sophomore Sam Ross won by a major decision (8-0) over Defiance sophomore Kliever Joseph. In the 149 weight class, Adrian sophomore Zachary Platte won by fall (1:39) over Defiance freshman Jake Scoville. In the 157 weight class, Adrian senior Trent Rector pulled off a close victory (17-14) over Defiance freshman Daniel Gravette. In the 165 weight class, Adrian graduate Zach Altman won by fall (4:09) over Defiance senior Keringten Martin. In the 174 weight class, Adrian graduate Derick DuVall won by technical fall (16-0) over Defiance sophomore Matthew Beard. In the 184 weight class, Adrian sophomore Blake Williams won by fall (0:40) over Defiance senior Jack Minner. In the 197 weight class, Adrian senior Dylan Wellbaum won by fall (1:31) over Defiance sophomore Joey Perez. Finally, in the 285 weight class, Adrian senior Kyle Emery won by fall (1:39) over Defiance freshman Lesly Fleurissaint.

12/2 and 12/3: (Blithe Duals)

The Yellow Jackets wrestling team traveled to Grand Rapids, Michigan, Friday morning for the two-day Blithe Duals at Cornerstone University. Defiance was short-handed and lost all six duals they competed in over the weekend. On Friday, the Yellow Jackets competed in a trio of duals against Albion College (L 42-9), St. Ambrose University (L 39-17), and The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (L 52-3). In the opening dual versus Albion, sophomore Kliever Joseph won by forfeit in the 141 weight class, while senior Alejandro Castro was victorious in the 157 weight class over redshirt freshman Thomas Potter (6-3 decision). The Yellow Jackets forfeited against Albion in weight classes 125 and 174. In the second dual matchup of the weekend versus St. Ambrose, senior Seth Majewski won in the 133 weight class over sophomore Ariel Vega by technical fall 16-0. Sophomore Kliever Joseph won by forfeit in the 141 weight class and freshman Lesly Fleurissaint won by forfeit in the 197 weight class. To conclude Friday’s action, Defiance competed in a dual versus The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Senior Seth Majewski defeated (#7 nationally ranked) junior Tyler Fleetwood with a 9-4 decision in the 133 weight class. The Yellow Jackets were forced to forfeit in the 125, 165, and 174 weight classes. On Saturday, the Yellow Jackets competed in a trio of duals against Liberty University (L 54-5), Wheaton College (L 45-10), and Siena Heights University (L 43-9). To kick off Saturday’s action, Defiance competed in a dual versus Liberty. Senior Seth Majewski won in the 133 weight class by technical fall 17-0. The Yellow Jackets had to forfeit in the weight classes 125, 165, and 174. In the second dual on Saturday, the Yellow Jackets faced off against Wheaton. Senior Seth Majewski won in the 133 weight class over senior Brendan Johnston with a major decision of 17-4, while senior Jack Minner was victorious in the 184 weight class over freshman Hunter Kazmierczak (fall 2:43). In the final dual of the weekend versus Siena Heights, freshman Brandon Ruiz was victorious in the 141 weight class via forfeit, while sophomore Kliever Joseph defeated freshman Kynan Savoie. Senior Seth Majewski defeated sophomore Randy Frailey in the 133 weight class with a 4-1 decision. 

Women’s Track & Field: Fri. Dec. 2

The Defiance College women’s track & field team welcomed Trine University, Anderson University, and Concordia University to the George M. Smart Center Friday afternoon for the Early Bird Open. Two Yellow Jackets set new personal bests during this meet including sophomore Ashanti Elkins (400-meter dash- 1:05.88) and senior Lisa-Maria Markau (60-meter dash- 7.99). Sophomore Hailey Haynes finished second in the 60-meter dash with a time of 8.23. Sophomore Ashanti Elkins and freshman Shyla Pemberton finished first and second in the 400-meter dash with times of 1:05.88 and 1:07.53. Senior Lisa-Maria Markau won the 200-meter dash with a time of 26.78, while sophomore Ashanti Elkins came in second, and sophomore Hailei Haynes finished third.

Men’s Track & Field: Fri. Dec. 2

The Defiance College men’s track & field team welcomed Trine University, Anderson University, and Concordia University to the George M. Smart Center Friday afternoon for the Early Bird Open. Sophomore Gavin Maratea set a new personal best in the 400-meter dash with a time of 57.27. Freshman Isaac Miler finished first in the long jump with a time of 19-04.25, while senior Ja’Qway Janvier won the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.18. Freshman Marlon Brown finished second in the 400-meter dash with a time of 50.58. Senior Ja’Qway Janvier finished second in the 200-meter dash, while freshman Marlon Brown finished in third.

Home

Thursday, Dec. 8

Wrestling vs Wilmington College (Wilmington Dual)

Location: Karl H. Weaner Center

(7:00 pm)

Away

Saturday, Dec. 10

Men’s Basketball (2-4) at Hanover College (4-2)

(12:00 pm)

Women’s Basketball (1-4) at Hanover College (5-2)

(2:00 pm)