Yellow Jackets Sports Weekly Recap (Jan. 30- Feb. 5)

By: Brandon Unverferth

Photography: Hanna Young

Men’s Basketball: Wed. Feb. 1 and Sat. Feb. 4

2/1: Manchester University 81 (12-8), Defiance 67 (6-14)

The Defiance College men’s basketball team welcomed the Manchester Spartans to the Karl H. Weaner Center Wednesday evening for an HCAC conference matchup. The starters in this contest included (senior) Marell Jordan, (senior) Te Jones, (sophomore) Landen Swanner, (freshman) Cole Wojciechowski, and (freshman) Ried Jury. One minute and twenty-seven seconds into the contest (18:33 left in the 1st), sophomore Ty Lynas scored the first points of the game for either team, as he connected on an open layup off an assist from sophomore Quentez Columbus (2-0). Nearly a minute and a half would tick off the clock before the next basket (16:58 left in the 1st), and it was Manchester with the bucket once again, this time coming off a layup by sophomore Bryant Smith (4-0). Sophomore Logan Willoughby extended the Spartans’ lead to six (6-0) with 16:25 left in the opening half, as Willoughby was able to connect on a pair of free throws following a foul by Yellow Jackets freshman Cole Wojciechowski. Finally, nearly four minutes and fifteen seconds into the game (15:48 left in the 1st), Defiance made their way onto the scoreboard as sophomore Landen Swanner connected on an open layup (6-2). Sophomore Bryant Smith for Manchester quickly responded to Swanner’s layup with a layup of his own, just thirty-eight seconds later (15:10 left in the first), as he was able to find separation in the Yellow Jackets’ defense (8-2). The Spartans would stretch out to as much as an eight-point lead (14-6) with 12:06 left in the first half, but Defiance in the ensuing four and a half minutes went on an 8-2 scoring run, which tied the game at 16 with 7:23 left until halftime. The Yellow Jackets would continue, as Defiance tacked on other three-straight points to take their first lead of the contest at three (19-16) with 6:21 left in the first half. The Yellow Jackets would remain ahead by three (25-22) with 4:11 left in the first half, but this time Manchester would respond by going on an 8-0 scoring of their own, to take a five-point lead (30-25) with 2:41 left until the break. With 2:05 left in the first half, sophomore Landen Swanner cut the Yellow Jackets’ deficit back to within two (30-28), as he splashed home a three-pointer from the left wing. Both teams would trade baskets in the remaining two minutes of the opening half, as Manchester led by four (34-30) into the locker room. One minute and eleven seconds into the second half (18:49 left), sophomore Bryant Smith capitalized off another relaxed defensive look from Defiance, as he drove his way to the rim for the layup to put the Spartans back up by six (36-30). Smith’s basket started what would lead to an 8-2 Manchester scoring run over the next two minutes (16:27 left), which put Manchester up by double-digits at ten (42-32). Fifteen seconds later (16:12 left), Senior Te Jones ended the Spartans’ run, as he splashed home a deep three-pointer from the left wing, off an assist from senior Marell Jordan to cut the deficit back to within seven (42-35). Manchester would respond to Jones’s triple, with another quick scoring run over the next minute (15:13 left), this time a 4-0 run, which put the Spartans up by eleven (46-35). Defiance did not let the Manchester scoring run’s bother them, as the Yellow Jackets found some traction and momentum in the next minute and a half, as Defiance went on a 7-0 scoring of their own (13:39 left) to cut the deficit to just four (46-42). Sixteen seconds later (13:23 left), sophomore Ty Lynas was able to connect on a pair of free throws following a foul by Defiance freshman Ried Jury, which put the Spartans back up by six (48-42). With 12:18 left, the Yellow Jackets found themselves only down by three (51-48), following a layup from senior Marell Jordan, which came off an assist from freshman Jakob Trevino. Nearly a minute later (11:23 left), Ty Lynas scored via a layup once again, as this time he found his way past senior Jabryis Heidelberg for the bucket, to put Manchester ahead by five (53-48). Just past the midway point of the second half (9:57 left), senior Jabryis Heidelberg trimmed the Defiance deficit once again to within one score, as he managed to sift through the Spartan defense for the layup (55-52). Manchester would follow Heidelberg’s free throw up with a 3-0 scoring run over the course of just over a minute (8:55 left), which put the Spartans back up six (58-52). Following a layup from freshman Evan Park moments later, sophomore Ty Lynas once again buried a pair of free throws at the line (8:19 left) to return the Manchester advantage to six (60-54). Following a media timeout with 7:11 left to play, senior Te Jones was able to cut the Defiance deficit back to within four (60-56), as he canned his own pair of free throws at the line. Once again, Manchester had a response as sophomore Bryant Smith came up big once again (6:54 left), as he returned the favor and buried a pair of free-throws to return the lead to six once again (62-56) following a Defiance foul by freshman Evan Park. Moments later (6:09 left), sophomore Quentez Columbus punched in a bucket from close range, and this put the Spartans up by eight (64-56). The now six-straight-point Manchester scoring run did not stop there, as moments later, the run extended to 12-2, which allowed the Spartans to extend their lead to twelve (70-58) with 3:53 left to play. Twenty-eight seconds later (3:25 left), sophomore Landen Swanner cut the Yellow Jackets’ deficit back to single-digits at nine (70-61) as he connected on a deep three-point shot from the right wing. Manchester regained a twelve-point lead (75-63) with 2:03 left, following a quick 5-0 scoring run, and that turned out to be the game-sealing moment for the Spartans as they went on to take the victory 81-67. Manchester finished with four players in double-figures, including sophomore Ty Lynas (27), sophomore Bryant Smith (17), junior Mitch Mendenhall (12), and sophomore Logan Willoughby (10). Defiance also finished with four players in double-figures, including sophomore Landen Swanner (18), senior Marell Jordan (17), senior Jabryis Heidelberg (12), and senior Te Jones (12). The Spartans shot 43.3% (26-60) from the field, while Defiance shot 41% (25-61). Defiance shot well from the three-point line shooting 28% (7-25), compared to Manchester’s 0% (0-10). Both teams shot well from the free-throw line as the Spartans shot 82.9% (29-35), while the Yellow Jackets shot 66.7% (10-15). Turnovers played a major role in the outcome of this game, as Defiance committed 15 turnovers which led to 20 Manchester points, while the Spartans only committed eight turnovers, which led to 10 Yellow Jackets points. Manchester out-rebounded Defiance 41-36, including a 13-11 offensive rebound advantage. The points in the paint category was also dominated by the Spartans, as they led this category 48-34. Defiance had a slight advantage in the bench points category 18-12.

When senior Grant Johnson was asked by The Defender about his thoughts following Wednesday’s loss against Manchester, he expressed, “We played with good effort and fight tonight, but we just need to execute better on a few plays. If we can find a way to execute on plays here and there, then I think we will start seeing the success we know we are capable of.“

2/4: Transylvania University 88 (12-9), Defiance 76 (6-15)

The Yellow Jackets men’s basketball team traveled to Lexington, Kentucky, Saturday afternoon for an HCAC conference showdown against the Transylvania Pioneers. The starters in this contest included (senior) Marell Jordan, (senior) Te Jones, (sophomore) Landen Swanner, (freshman) Cole Wojciechowski, and (freshman) Jakob Trevino. Thirty-four seconds into the first half (19:26 left in the 1st), senior Marell Jordan got Defiance on the scoreboard first as he connected on a mid-range jump shot off an assist from freshman Jakob Trevino. The score went back and forth for the majority of the opening ten minutes before Transylvania went on an 11-2 scoring run to take an eleven-point lead (26-15) with 9:56 left before the half. Senior Dejsani Beamon put an end to the Pioneer’s scoring run, as he was able to fight his way to the rim for a layup (26-17). Defiance would outscore Transylvania 23-14 for the rest of the half, which tied the game at 40 into the locker room. The Pioneers responded in the second half, though, as they buried their first four three-point attempts, which allowed them to extend out to a six-point lead (56-50) at the first media timeout break. Transylvania would extend their lead out to as much as eleven near the midway point of the second half, and from there, the Pioneers would not look back. Senior Marell Jordan would cut the Yellow Jackets’ deficit to eight with three minutes left, but that was as close as Defiance would get as Transylvania came away victorious 88-76. In the loss, senior Marell Jordan made history as with 3:14 remaining in the first half, he knocked down a pair of free-throws, and those two points gave him 1,500 for his career. Jordan became the 10th Yellow Jacket to reach that milestone. Transylvania finished with a trio of players in double-figures, including sophomore Colby Napier (22), junior Jaylan Green (21), and junior Simon Smith (15). Meanwhile, Defiance finished with four players in double-figures, including senior Marell Jordan (24), freshman Cole Wojciechowski (12), senior Te Jones (11), and senior Jabryis Heidelburg (10). The Yellow Jackets shot 53.8% (28-52) from the field, while the Pioneers shot 45.9% (28-61). Transylvania shot 45.5% (10-22) from the three-point range, compared to Defiance’s 23.5% (4-17). The Yellow Jackets shot 76.2% (16-21) from the free-throw line, while the Pioneers shot 64.7% (22-34) from the charity stripe. Defiance out-rebounded Transylvania 35-33.

Women’s Basketball: Wed. Feb. 1 and Sat. Feb. 4

2/1: Defiance 90 (7-13), Manchester University 63 (8-11)

The Defiance College women’s basketball team traveled to Manchester, Indiana, Wednesday evening to take on the Manchester Spartans in HCAC conference action. The starters in this contest included (graduate) Taylor Day, (senior) Taylor Steinbrunner, (senior) Nicole Sims, (senior) Lexie Sparks, and (junior) Kylie Brinkman. Thirty-six seconds into the game (9:24 left in the 1st), senior Taylor Steinbrunner scored the Yellow Jackets’ first points of the contest, as she splashed home a three-pointer off an assist from graduate Taylor Day (3-0). Just thirty-four seconds later (8:50 left in the 1st), Steinbrunner splashed home another look from downtown, this time off an assist from senior Nicole Sims, to put Defiance up 6-0. With 8:07 left in the opening quarter, graduate Taylor Day found open space to the rim for the layup, to conclude an 8-0 start for the Yellow Jackets. The Spartans would finally put themselves on the scoreboard with 7:33 left in the first quarter, as freshman Alison Graber splashed home a three-pointer from the left wing (8-3). Defiance responded well to Graber’s basket, as in the next two minutes (4:23 left in the 1st), the Yellow Jackets went on a 10-5 scoring run to take a ten-point lead (18-8). The next basket would take place nearly a minute and a half later (2:50 left in the 1st), as senior Hannah Lindsey was able to fight her way through the Defiance defense for the open layup (18-10). Freshman Kalista Friday returned the Yellow Jackets’ lead to double-digits with 2:13 left in the opening quarter, as she converted a layup off her own (20-10). Forty-one seconds later (1:32 left), freshman Hailee Kline trimmed the Manchester deficit to seven, as she was able to splash home a deep three-pointer from the right wing (20-13). Freshman Kalista Friday would respond, however, as she ended up scoring the final four points of the quarter to give Defiance a 24-13 lead heading into the second quarter. Eighteen seconds into the second quarter (9:42 left in the 2nd), junior Alyssa Pfell helped the Spartans cut the deficit to nine (24-15), but this would be the last time Manchester found themselves down by single digits in this contest. With 8:44 left in the second quarter, senior Taylor Steinbrunner splashed home yet another bucket from downtown, this time from the left wing, to give her a trio of threes in the contest. Steinbrenner triple put Defiance up by fourteen (29-15). Senior Lexi Sparks scored a quick five points near the midway point in the second, as she canned a pair of pull-up jumpers and converted on a free-throw opportunity from the charity stripe. In the second quarter, the Yellow Jackets outscored the Spartans 21-14, which allowed Defiance to walk into the locker room with an eighteen-point advantage (45-27). Just nine seconds into the third quarter (9:51 left in the 3rd), senior Lexie Sparks found separation in the Manchester defense and drove to the rim for the finishing layup, which put Defiance up by twenty (47-27). Both teams traded baskets for nearly the next four and a half minutes of the contest (5:16 left in the 3rd) until Manchester went on a quick 5-0 scoring run to trim their deficit to seventeen (57-40). Just past the halfway point of the third quarter (4:49 left in the 3rd), senior Taylor Steinbrunner quickly returned the Defiance lead to twenty (60-40), as she once again splashed home a shot from downtown. The next basket would come from Steinbrunner with 3:26 left in the third quarter, as this time she connected from mid-range, to score her 26th point of the contest (62-40). Manchester would cut the deficit down to nineteen (65-46) following a triple from freshman Hailee Kline with 2:27 left in the third quarter, but Steinbrunner would not let that last very long, as she once again connected on a deep shot from three-point range (her fifth) to put her at 31 points on the night (68-46). From this point on, Defiance would outscore the Spartans 22-17, to take the victory 90-63. Defiance finished with a trio of players in double-figures, including senior Taylor Steinbrunner with 31 points (off 11-13 shooting from the field, 5-6 shooting from three-point range, and 4-4 from the free-throw line), graduate Taylor Day with 20, and freshman Kalista Friday with 12. Manchester failed to record a double-digit scorer in this contest, but freshman Hailee Kline led the way with 9 points. The Yellow Jackets shot the ball well, shooting 59% (36-61) from the field, while the Spartans shot 32.8% (20-61). Defiance was able to capitalize on open looks from three-point range as they shot 40% (6-15), compared to Manchester’s 25% (7-28) from downtown. The Spartans shot 64% (16-25) from the free-throw line, while the Yellow Jackets shot a very similar 63.2% (12-19) from the charity stripe. Defiance out-rebounded Manchester 40-35, including a 30-20 defensive rebound advantage. The Yellow Jackets dominated the points in the paint category 46-22.

When senior Nicole Sims was asked by The Defender about her thoughts following Wednesday’s victory at Manchester, she expressed, “Tonight was fun. We played the way we know how to play and it definitely made the game easier. We played well together, shot well, and moved the ball to get the best shot possible each possession. Our energy and hustle each play led us to win this game.“

2/4: Transylvania University 76 (21-0), Defiance 33 (7-14)

The Yellow Jackets women’s basketball team traveled to Lexington, Kentucky, Saturday afternoon for an HCAC conference showdown against the #2 nationally ranked Transylvania Pioneers. The starters in this contest included (graduate) Taylor Day, (senior) Taylor Steinbrunner, (senior) Nicole Sims, (senior) Lexie Sparks, and (junior) Cait Good. Transylvania held Defiance scoreless for the first seven minutes of this contest, and through this time the Pioneers quickly extended out to a 24-0 advantage. Senior Taylor Steinbrunner would finally put the Yellow Jackets on the scoreboard with 2:46 left in the first quarter, as she connected on a free-throw following a Pioneer foul from sophomore Emilie Teall (24-1). Transylvania exploded for 33 points in the first quarter alone, with nine of the Pioneers’ 12 baskets coming from behind the three-point line. Seven different players connected on those nine threes for Transylvania in the opening ten minutes, including senior Kennedi Stacy (2), junior Sydney Wright, senior Madison Kellione, sophomore Sadie Wurth, freshman Sierra Kemelgor, junior Kennedy Harris (2), and sophomore Emilie Teall. Defiance shot 3-for-11 to start the game, while Transylvania went 12-for-16. The Pioneers out-rebounded the Yellow Jackets 9-4 and forced Defiance into six first-quarter turnovers. It was a tough day for the Yellow Jackets, as they only managed to score 33 points in the entire 40 minutes of the contest. The Pioneers outscored the Yellow Jackets 43-26 in the remaining three quarters as they took the comfortable forty-three-point victory 76-33. Transylvania finished with four players in double-figures, including senior Madison Kellione (17), senior Dasia Thornton (12), senior Kennedi Stacy (10), and freshman Sierra Kemelgor (10). Senior Lexie Sparks was the lone Yellow Jacket in double-figures as she finished with 15 points. The Pioneers shot 46.7% (28-60), while the Yellow Jackets shot 25.9% (14-54). Transylvania shot well from beyond the arc at 40.7% (11-27), while Defiance shot 6.7% (1-15). The Pioneers were 9-14 (64.3%) from the free-throw line, compared to the Yellow Jackets 4-7 (57.1%). Transylvania out-rebounded Defiance 48-24.

Wrestling: Thurs. Feb. 2

Defiance 34, Marian University-Ancilla 6 (Senior Night)

The Defiance College wrestling team hosted the Marian University-Ancilla Chargers Thursday evening at the Karl H. Weaner Center for a dual matchup as a part of senior night festivities. Defiance seniors Alejandro Castro, Seth Majewski, Keringten Martin, Jack Minner, and Rigo Villa were recognized during the festivities. In the 141 weight class, Ancilla freshman Bryan Chavero defeated Defiance sophomore Kliever Joseph by decision, and in the 149 weight class, the Chargers were once again victorious by decision as freshman Reese Hamblen defeated junior Brent Eicher. Junior Shamique Bryant (157), senior Alejandro Castro (165), sophomore Joey Perez (184), and freshman Kelvin Ruffin (197), all won by forfeit. In the 174 weight class matchup, senior Keringten Martin earned a major decision victory over sophomore Jaybreon Litsey, while in the heavyweight class, senior Rigo Villa won by fall over sophomore Sergio Bueno. Meanwhile, Ancilla freshman Chris Bullock defeated freshman Brandon Ruiz in 141 weight class exhibition action by the result of a fall. Senior Alejandro Castro also won in exhibition action by fall, and senior Jack Minner was victorious with a major decision in the 184 weight class. Freshman Lesly Fleurissaint was victorious in a heavyweight exhibition match via a pin.

Women’s Track & Field: Sat. Feb. 4

The Yellow Jackets women’s track & field team traveled to Angola, Indiana, Saturday afternoon for the Dick Gollnick Invitational at Trine University. Ten schools competed in the Dick Gollnick Invitational including Trine University, Olivet College, Franklin College, Concordia University, Rochester University, Baldwin Wallace University, Adrain College, Madonna University, and Calvin University. Defiance finished in tenth place as a team. Freshman Shyla Pemberton finished eighth in the 400 meter and recorded a personal best time of 1:06.84, while sophomore Lexi Coward recorded a new personal best in the 800 meter. Senior Lisa-Maria Markau finished second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 26.52 seconds.

Men’s Track & Field: Sat. Feb. 4

The Defiance College men’s track & field team traveled to Angola, Indiana, Saturday afternoon for the Dick Gollnick Invitational at Trine University. Ten schools competed in the Dick Gollnick Invitational, including Trine University, Olivet College, Franklin College, Concordia University, Rochester University, Baldwin Wallace University, Adrain College, Madonna University, and Calvin University. Defiance finished in ninth place as a team. Freshman Marlon Brown won the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.07 seconds. In the men’s 60-meter, sophomore Jonathan Wright-Daniel finished with a time of 7.62 seconds, and freshman Landon Sensmeier completed it in 7.97 seconds. That was a new personal best for Sensmeier. Freshman Isaac Miler completed the long jump at 5.90m. The 4 x 400m relay team consisting of sophomore Johnathan Wright-Daniel, sophomore Gavin Maratea, freshman Isaac Miler, and freshman Marlon Brown finished in seventh place.

Home

Tuesday, Feb. 7

Wrestling vs Ohio Wesleyan University

Location: Karl H. Weaner Center

(7:00 pm)

Wednesday, Feb. 8

Women’s Basketball (7-14) vs Anderson University (14-7)

Location: Karl H. Weaner Center

(7:30 pm)

Thursday, Feb. 9

Men’s Track & Field (Dick Small Invite)

Location: George M. Smart Center

(6:00 pm)

Women’s Track & Field (Dick Small Invite)

Location: George M. Smart Center

(6:00 pm)

Friday, Feb. 10

Men’s Track & Field (Dick Small Invite)

Location: George M. Smart Center

(10:30 am)

Women’s Track & Field (Dick Small Invite)

Location: George M. Smart Center

(10:30 am)

Away

Monday, Feb. 6

Women’s Basketball (7-14) at Albion College (14-7)

(7:30 pm)

Wednesday, Feb. 8

Men’s Basketball (6-15) at Anderson University (13-8)

(7:30 pm)

Saturday, Feb. 11

Wrestling at Olivet College (Mid-States Invitational)

(10:00 am)

Women’s Track & Field at Wittenberg University (All-Ohio Championships)

(TBD)

Men’s Track & Field at Wittenberg University (All-Ohio Championships)

(TBD)

Men’s Basketball (6-15) at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (12-9)

(1:00 pm)