Yellow Jackets Sports Weekly Recap (Jan. 2- Jan. 8)
By: Brandon Unverferth
Photography: Hanna Young
Men’s Basketball: Wed. Jan. 4 and Sat Jan. 7
1/4: Bluffton University 70 (4-8), Defiance 69 (5-7)
The Defiance College men’s basketball team traveled to Bluffton, Ohio, Wednesday evening for a matchup against HCAC conference rival, the Bluffton Beavers. The starters in this contest included (senior) Kiewaun Graham, (sophomore) Landen Swanner, (freshman) Jordyn Jury, (freshman) Ried Jury, and (freshman) Cole Wojciechowski. One minute and five seconds into the contest, sophomore Conner Martin scored the first points of the contest for either team, as he capitalized on an open lane to the rim for the layup. Forty-three seconds later (18:12 left in the 1st), sophomore Tanner Swanner scored the Yellow Jackets first points of the game, as he fought his way to the rim to tie the game at two. With 14:27 left in the first half, sophomore Tanner Swanner was able to connect once again, but this time from three-point range to tie the game at eight. One minute and two seconds later (13:25 left in the 1st), senior Kegan Owen splashed home his own shot from downtown, to give the Beavers the lead back 11-8. Following a media timeout with 11:41 left in the first half, senior Jerome Johnson connected on a deep three-pointer of his own, to tie the game once again, this time at eleven (11:26 left in the 1st). With 9:06 left in the first half, sophomore Landen Swanner converted on a shot from downtown, even with Bluffton’s freshman Brady Wheeler in his face, to give Defiance the lead back 16-13. Most of the remaining nine minutes of the first half were tight, with both teams exchanging small leads, but Defiance would end the half on a 7-2 scoring run to take a 35-31 lead into the locker room. The 7-2 run consisted of a (sophomore) Landon Swanner three-pointer, a layup from (senior) Kiewaun Graham, and (freshman) a Cam Martin dunk. Freshman Brady Wheeler was the first player for either team to score in the second half, as he was able to capitalize on a bit of open space in the Defiance defense to knock down a mid-range jumper and cut the Beavers deficit to two (35-33). Sixteen seconds later (16:20 left), freshman Jordyn Jury responded to Wheeler’s basket as he found his way to the rim for the open layup, to push the Yellow Jackets lead back to four (37-33). With 18:42 left, freshman Brady Wheeler came up strong once again, as he splashed home a deep three-pointer from the right wing, to cut the Bluffton deficit even further, down to one (37-36). At the midway point of the second half, the Beavers found themselves ahead slightly 53-52. Neither team would score for nearly the next two and a half minutes, before freshman Brady Wheeler connected on a pair of free-throws with 7:58 left, off a foul by Defiance senior Dejsani Beamon (55-52). Senior Te Jones made two free-throws of his own twenty-five seconds later (7:33 left), to cut the Defiance deficit to one (55-54). Following a (senior) successful Te Jones mid-range junpshot, the Yellow Jackets found themselves up by four (66-62) with only 2:49 left to play. With 2:33 left, sophomore Conner Martin capitalized off a foul by Defiance freshman Cam Martin, to cut the Bluffton deficit to three (66-63). One minute and nine seconds later (1:24 left), sophomore Landen Swanner splashed home a mid-range jump shot, which provided the Yellow Jackets with a five-point lead (68-63). Following a media timeout with 1:15 left, freshman Brady Wheeler went on a 5-0 scoring run of his own in the next thirty-nine seconds to tie the game at 68 with only 0:36 left. Defiance decided to draw up a play with fourteen seconds left in the game, and senior Dejsani Beamon was fouled by Bluffton sophomore Conner Martin, which presented Beamon with a one-and-one. Beamon hit the first free-throw to give Defiance the lead back 69-68, but he missed the second. Senior Ryan Rose of Bluffton grabbed the defensive rebound, which allowed Bluffton with the opportunity to tie or win the game with the next possession. With nine seconds left, Bluffton freshman Brady Wheeler settled for a deep three-pointer and missed, but the ball flew around and landed directly in the arms of senior Kegan Owen for the offensive rebound. A few moments after collecting the offensive rebound, Owen was fouled by Defiance senior Te Jones with just five seconds remaining. Owen went to the line and drained both free throws, to give Bluffton the lead 70-69. Defiance still had a chance to win it, but they were unable to get a shot off, and therefore Bluffton stunned the Yellow Jackets with a 70-69 victory. The Beavers finished with a pair of players in double-figures, including freshman Brady Wheeler with 21 points and senior Kegan Owen with 20. Defiance finished with a trio of players in double-figures, including sophomore Landen Swanner (23), senior Jerome Johnson (15), and senior Te Jones (13). There were 22 ties and 28 lead changes throughout the contest. Bluffton shot 56.8% (25-44) from the field, while Defiance shot 48.1% (25-52). The Yellow Jackets shot 55.6% (10-18) from three-point range, while the Beavers shot 40% (6-15) from downtown. Bluffton shot 82.4% (14-17) from the free-throw line, compared to Defiance’s 75% (9-12) from the charity stripe. The Beavers out-rebounded the Yellow Jackets 32-18. Defiance recorded five more assists (15-10) in the contest than Bluffton did. The Beavers recorded 20 turnovers, with the Yellow Jackets gaining 23 points off Bluffton’s turnovers. Defiance recorded 13 turnovers, with the Beavers gaining 12 points off Yellow Jacket turnovers. Bluffton had a slight advantage in the points in the paint category, 32-28. Defiance’s bench outscored Bluffton’s bench 37-6.
When senior Grant Johnson was asked by The Defender about his thoughts following Wednesday’s heartbreaking loss at rival Bluffton, he expressed, “We played our hearts out tonight. We did not give up regardless of the many ups and downs that occurred throughout this game. We stayed together and played well as a group, but we just could not come up with the victory. Now we reset our focus for Transylvania and the future games ahead.“
1/7: Transylvania University 76 (6-7), Defiance 62 (5-8)
The Yellow Jackets men’s basketball team welcomed the Transylvania Pioneers to the Karl H. Weaner Center Saturday afternoon for an HCAC conference showdown. The starters in this contest included (senior) Marell Jordan, (sophomore) Landen Swanner, (freshman) Jordyn Jury, (freshman) Ried Jury, and (freshman) Cole Wojciechowski. Twenty-four seconds into the game (19:36 left in the 1st half), sophomore Hunter Penn found separation in the Defiance defense to put the Pioneers on the scoreboard first (2-0). Twenty-seven seconds later (19:09 left in the 1st), freshman Dakota Capps drove coast-to-coast following a Yellow Jackets missed layup (freshman Cole Wojciechowski) to stretch the Transylvania lead to four (4-0). With 18:52 left in the first half, freshman Cole Wojciechowski would be the first Yellow Jacket to put his name on the scoreboard, as he connected on a layup off an assist from freshman Ried Jury (4-2). Transylvania would jump out to a 12-4 lead with 15:54 left in the first half. A three by senior Te Jones with 10:02 remaining in the first half, would give Defiance their only lead of the game at 24-22. Transylvania immediately responded to Defiance’s first lead of the contest, as the Pioneers went on a 9-0 run to take a 31-24 lead with 6:28 left in the first half. Transylvania closed the final six minutes of the first half with a 16-4 scoring run to take a sixteen-point lead (47-31) at the halftime break. Twenty-six of the forty-seven first-half points for the Pioneers came from inside the paint. The big difference in the first half was second-chance points, as Transylvania had a 11-2 advantage in the second-chance category over the Yellow Jackets. Going into the first media timeout of the second half, Defiance still trailed the Pioneers by 16. Transylvania had a lead of 20 at the second media timeout and they would lead by as many as 24 in the second half. The Yellow Jackets finished the final two minutes and thirty-eight seconds of the game on a 9-0 run, as sophomore Landen Swanner, junior Sherod Brooks, and freshman Cam Martin, each knocked down a shot from downtown. The Pioneers lead was just too much for the Yellow Jackets, as Transylvania took the victory 76-62. The Pioneers finished with a trio of players in double-figures, including junior Jaylan Green (14), sophomore Matthew Teague (10), and freshman Daniel Mullins (10). Senior Te Jones was the only Yellow Jacket in double-figures as he finished with 13 points. Transylvania shot 46.6% (27-58) from the field, while Defiance shot 39.7% (23-58). The Yellow Jackets made nine three-pointers on twenty-five attempts for 36%, while the Pioneers hit six shots from beyond the arc on twenty-three attempts for 26.1%. Transylvania shot 80% (16-20) from the free-throw line, while Defiance shot 63.6% (7-11). The Pioneers out-rebounded the Yellow Jackets 40-32.
Women’s Basketball: Wed. Jan. 4 and Sat. Jan. 7
1/4: Bluffton University 81 (8-4), Defiance 48 (6-6)
The Defiance College women’s basketball team traveled to Bluffton, Ohio, Wednesday evening to take on HCAC conference rival, the Bluffton Beavers. The starters in this contest included (senior) Nicole Sims, (senior) Lexie Sparks, (senior) Taylor Steinbrunner, (junior) McKenzie Cooper, and (junior) Cait Good. Fifty-two seconds into the contest, senior Sammy Shardo splashed one home from downtown, to give the Beavers an early 3-0 lead. Sixteen seconds later (8:52 left in the 1st), junior Cait Good scored the Yellow Jackets first points as she found her way to the rim for the open layup, to cut the deficit to one (3-2). One minute and fourteen seconds later (7:38 left in the 1st), senior Taylor Steinbrunner secured an open lane to the bucket off an assist from junior McKenzie Cooper, to give Defiance their first lead of the contest at 4-3. With 6:58 left in the 1st, sophomore Kayla Prigge connected on a deep shot from three-point range, to return the lead back to Bluffton 6-4. Ten seconds later (6:48 left in the 1st), senior Lexie Sparks capitalized off a Beavers turnover to tie the game back up once again at 6. At the midway point of the first quarter, Bluffton held a slight lead over the Yellow Jackets 10-8. With 4:18 left in the 1st, junior Kylie Brinkman scored from mid-range following a missed shot from Bluffton senior Morgan Smith, to tie the game up at 10. The Beavers would end the first quarter on a 11-1 scoring run, which changed the motive for the rest of the game. The Beavers momentum continued into the second quarter as they outscored the Yellow Jackets 23-7, to stretch their lead out to twenty-six (44-18) into the halftime break. Freshman Kyla Columber recorded an incredible six threes in the first half, on just seven attempts, to give her the high-scoring honor with 18. Thirty-one seconds into the third quarter (9:29 left in the 3rd), sophomore Olivia Zender scored the first points of the second half for either team, as she connected on a deep three-pointer from the left wing (47-18). Nearly two minutes into the third quarter (8:07 left in the 3rd), the Yellow Jackets finally made their way onto the scoreboard as senior Taylor Steinbrunner capitalized on an open lane to the rim for the layup, to cut Defiance’s deficit to twenty-nine (49-20). The Beavers momentum continued for the remainder of the contest, as Bluffton outscored Defiance 37-30 in the second half. Bluffton’s 81 points were a season-high for the Beavers offense and the most Defiance has allowed in a game this season as well. Freshman Kyla Columber led all players in scoring with 26 points, including a single-game school record eight made three-pointers (on just nine attempts) for Bluffton. The previous record was seven, which stood since 2014. Two other players finished in double-figures for Bluffton including senior Morgan Smith who scored 12 and senior Sammy Shardo with 10. Graduate Taylor Day led Defiance scorers with 10 points, while freshman Zadria King posted a career-high seven points in late-game action. Bluffton shot 46.7% (28-60) from the field, while Defiance shot 31.1% (19-61). The Beavers shot 50% (16-32) from three-point range, while the Yellow Jackets shot 7.1% (1-14) from downtown. Bluffton shot a perfect 9-9 from the charity stripe, while Defiance shot 56.3% (9-16) from the free-throw line. The Beavers out-rebounded the Yellow Jackets 44-33. Bluffton’s bench outscored Defiance’s bench 57-37.
When junior McKenzie Cooper was asked by The Defender about her thoughts following Wednesday’s loss at rival Bluffton, she expressed, “It was tough to compete with a team that was shooting that hot from behind the 3-pt line. We are going to make some adjustments at practice this Thursday and Friday in order to help us prepare for this Saturday’s matchup against nationally ranked Transylvania and for the rest of the season. Additionally, I think our younger girls came in and executed well and played hard in the late stages of tonight’s contest.“
1/7: Transylvania University 70 (14-0), Defiance 40 (6-7)
The Yellow Jackets women’s basketball team hosted the #3 nationally ranked Transylvania Pioneers Saturday afternoon at the Karl H. Weaner Center for an HCAC conference showdown. The starters in this contest included (senior) Nicole Sims, (senior) Lexie Sparks, (junior) McKenzie Cooper, (junior) Kylie Brinkman, and (junior) Cait Good. Fourteen seconds into the game (9:46 left in the 1st quarter), senior Kennedi Stacy splashed home a deep three-pointer from the left wing to give the Pioneers an early 3-0 lead. Twenty seconds later (9:26 left in the 1st), senior Lexie Sparks found her way to the rim for an open layup as she dribbled her way past Transylvania senior Kennedi Stacy to cut the Yellow Jackets deficit to one (3-2). Sparks would score the first six points of the contest for the Yellow Jackets as she scored on two layups and a mid-range jumper. Defiance trailed 8-6 with 7:24 left in the first quarter, but the Pioneers would go on a 7-0 scoring run in the next two minutes (5:24 left in the 1st) to extend their lead to nine (15-6). Transylvania would lead by as much as thirteen (25-12) in the opening quarter, but the Yellow Jackets would trim the deficit to ten (26-16) by the end of the first quarter. The second quarter started off slow for both teams, but the Pioneers would turn up the heat in the final five minutes of the second half, as Transylvania went on a 15-5 scoring run to take a twenty point lead into the locker room (41-21). Defiance shot cold from the floor in the second quarter, as they shot just 2-for-11 after an 8-for-13 start in the first quarter. To open the third quarter, senior Dasia Thornton connected on an open layup (9:08 left in the 3rd) to help stretch the Pioneers lead to twenty-two (43-21). The Yellow Jackets would not score until the one minute and twenty second mark of the third (8:40 left in the 3rd), as senior Lexie Sparks would score on a contested mid-range jump shot from the right wing. The Pioneers outscored Defiance 20-13 in the third quarter, to extend their lead to twenty-seven (61-34) into the fourth quarter. Both teams played their benches for most of the fourth quarter, where Transylvania outscored Defiance 9-6. Graduate Taylor Day, senior Lexie Sparks, and junior Cait Good, each made a basket in the fourth quarter. The Pioneers finished with four players in double-figures including senior Laken Ball (18), senior Madison Kellione (15), senior Kennedi Stacy (13), and senior Dasia Thornton (12). Senior Lexie Sparks was the lone Yellow Jacket in double-figures with 12 points. Transylvania shot 40% (26-65) from the field, while Defiance shot 34.7% (17-49). The Pioneers hit eleven three-pointers on thirty-nine attempts for 28.2%, while Defiance shot 15.4% (2-13) from downtown. The Yellow Jackets shot 66.7% (4-6) from the charity stripe, while Transylvania shot 50% (7-14). Defiance committed nineteen turnovers in this contest and the Pioneers capitalized off of them by scoring thirteen points, Transylvania had a similar fifteen turnovers, but the Yellow Jackets were only able to score four points of the Pioneers mistakes. Defiance’s bench outscored Transylvania’s bench 22-12. The Pioneers out-rebounded the Yellow Jackets 49-24.
Wrestling: Sat. Jan. 7
The Defiance College wrestling team traveled to Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, Saturday morning to take part in the Waynesburg Invitational at Waynesburg University. Eleven schools competed in the Waynesburg Invitational including Heidelberg University, Fairmont State University, Johns Hopkins University, Penn College, Alma College, Waynesburg University, Washington and Jefferson College, Alderson Broaddus University, Muskingum University, and Glenville State University. Defiance came away with two top-six finishers, but as a team, the Yellow Jackets finished 10th after accumulating 29.5 points. Senior Alejandro Castro finished fourth in the 157 weight class, as he went 4-2 on the day. Castro lost in the quarterfinal but advanced three times through the consolation grouping, which included a victory by fall in 46 seconds following his first defeat, before he was pinned in the third place match. Senior Seth Majewski came up with a sixth-place finish in the 133 pound bracket, as he won each of his matches, but surrendered three straight by medical forfeit. Junior Shamique Bryant competed in the 149 pound bracket where he won his opening match before dropping his next two. Freshman Jake Scoville and sophomore Kliever Joseph were both knocked out after back-to-back losses in the 149 pound weight class. Sophomore Joey Perez won his first match in the 197 weight class before he was dropped in the quarterfinals by a pin in 56 seconds. Perez went the distance in his first consolation match, but in the end, he was defeated by an 8-0 decision. In the heavyweight, freshman Lesly Fleurissaint narrowly lost by an 8-7 decision in the second round of his weight class, before he was pinned down in 2:52. Freshman Kelvin Ruffin went 0-2 in the 197 weight class, as did junior Brent Eicher in the 157 weight class, and freshman Brandon Ruiz in the 141 bracket.
Home
Wednesday, Jan. 11
Men’s Basketball (5-8) vs Anderson University (8-5)
Location: Karl H. Weaner Center
(7:30 pm)
Saturday, Jan. 14
Men’s Basketball (5-8) vs Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (7-6)
Location: Karl H. Weaner Center
(1:00 pm)
Women’s Basketball (6-7) vs Miami-Hamilton University (7-9)
Location: Karl H. Weaner Center
(3:00 pm)
Away
Wednesday, Jan. 11
Women’s Basketball (6-7) at Anderson University (8-5)
(7:30 pm)
Saturday, Jan. 14
Wrestling at Manchester University (Spartan Mat Classic)
(10:00 am)
Men’s Track & Field at Trine University (Sean Brady Alumni Invitational)
(12:00 pm)
Women’s Track & Field at Trine University (Sean Brady Alumni Invitational)
(12:00 pm)
