Author: Hanna Young

By: Brandon Unverferth

Women’s Basketball: Mon. Dec. 19

Defiance 87 (5-5), Kalamazoo College 42 (0-11)

The Defiance College women’s basketball team welcomed the Kalamazoo Hornets to the Karl H. Weaner Center Monday evening for a non-conference showdown. The starters in this contest included (senior) Nicole Sims, (senior) Lexie Sparks, (junior) McKenzie Cooper, (junior) Kylie Brinkman, and (junior) Cait Good. Thirty-six seconds into the first quarter, Nicole Sims scored the first points of the contest, as she stole the ball from Hornets junior Maddie Coffman and found her way to the rim for a layup. Just fourteen seconds later (9:10 left in the 1st), junior Kaelyn Arlington scored Kalamazoo’s first points of the game as she knocked down an open mid-range jumper (2-2). With 8:44 left in the 1st, junior Sara English knocked down a three-pointer for the Hornets, off an assist from sophomore Laila Vincent, to give Kalamazoo an early three point lead (5-2). The Yellow Jackets quickly answered with a three-pointer of their own, as junior Cait Good splashed home a shot from downtown (8:31 left in the 1st) to tie things up at five apiece. At the midway point of the first quarter, the game was still tied, but this time at nine. Two seconds after the midway point of the opening quarter (4:58 left in the 1st), sophomore Laila Vincent provided the Hornets with the lead once again, as she found her way to the rim for an open layup. Once again, the Kalamazoo lead did not last long, as senior Taylor Steinbrunner connected on an open three-pointer (4:52 left in the 1st) to put the Yellow Jackets ahead 12-11. With 2:14 left in the 1st, junior Sara English splashed home her second three-pointer of the contest (up to this point), and tied the game back up at sixteen. The Yellow Jackets ended the first quarter on a 7-0 scoring run to lead by seven (23-16) going into the second quarter, thanks to a three-pointer by junior Cait Good, a layup by freshman Kalista Friday, and a mid-range jump shot by senior Taylor Steinbrunner. One minute and five seconds into the second quarter (8:55 left), freshman Ali Mowen connected on a shot from downtown, to stretch the lead to eight (26-18). In the next four minutes (4:34 left), the Yellow Jackets went on a 12-0 scoring run which extended the Defiance lead to twenty (38-18). At the half, the Yellow Jackets maintained a twenty point lead of 45-25. Both teams struggled to score in the third quarter, as the first points of the quarter came two minutes and twelve seconds in (7:48 left) as junior Sara English splashed home a three-pointer to cut the Hornets deficit to seventeen (45-28). In the next two minutes (5:52 left in the 3rd), the Yellow Jackets went on a 7-2 scoring run, which helped Defiance grow their largest lead of the game (to this point) at twenty-two (52-30). At the midway point of the third quarter, Defiance maintained a lead of eighteen (52-34). Following a media timeout, junior McKenzie Cooper connected on an open three-pointer, thanks to an assist from sophomore Kaitlin Paul. Cooper’s basket began what would lead to a 13-0 scoring run, which allowed the Yellow Jackets to take full control of this game. The scoring run allowed Defiance to take a thirty-one point lead (65-34) with 1:40 left in the third quarter. To end the third quarter, the Yellow Jackets had a lead of twenty-six (65-39). Freshman Zadria King scored the first points of the fourth quarter for either team, as she connected on a pair of free-throws following a foul by junior Kaelyn Arlington for Kalamazoo. With 6:52 left to play, sophomore Teagan Hunt capitalized off an open shot opportunity from downtown, to punch in her first points of the contest (72-41). Thirty-eight seconds later (6:14 left), junior Kylie Brinkman connected on a three-pointer from the right wing, to add to the Defiance three-point shooting barrage. In the end, the Yellow Jackets took the victory 87-42. Senior Lexie Sparks was the lone double-digit scorer for Defiance, as she finished with 14. The Hornets finished with a duo of players in double-digits including juniors Sara English (15) and Kaelyn Arlington (10). The Yellow Jackets shot an impressive 50% (33-66) from the field, while Kalamazoo shot 23.3% (14-60). Defiance hit eleven three-pointers in the contest, off twenty-nine attempts (37.9%), compared to the Hornets six of twenty (30%). Defiance shot 83.3% (10-12) from the free-throw line, while Kalamazoo shot 61.5% (8-13) from the charity stripe. The Hornets turned the ball over twenty times, which combined with their low shooting percentage, had a major impact on the game result. The Yellow Jackets were able to score twenty-eight points off Kalamazoo’s 20 turnovers. The bench for Defiance come in full force Monday evening, as they dominated the bench points spread over the Hornets 47-7. The Yellow Jackets out-rebounded Kalamazoo 46-36, including a 38-26 defensive rebound advantage.

When senior Nicole Sims was asked by The Defender about her thoughts following Monday’s victory over Kalamazoo, she expressed, “We had momentum going into this game with three wins in a row. We are finally playing well, as we are starting to figure out how to use all of our team weapons effectively to win. The significant improvement in rebounding has made the difference in separating wins from losses and we must continue this fight on the boards after Christmas break, in order to reach our full potential.“

Men’s Basketball: Mon. Dec. 19 and Wed. Dec. 21

12/19: Defiance 75 (4-5), Mount St. Vincent College 72 (3-7)

The Yellow Jackets men’s basketball team traveled to Riverdale, New York, Monday afternoon to take on the Mount St. Vincent Dolphins in non-conference action. The starters in this contest included (senior) Kiewaun Graham, (senior) Te Jones, (senior) Dejsani Beamon, (senior) Jerome Johnson, and (junior) Easton Lewis. Mount St. Vincent junior Joshua Cabezudo was the first player to score in this contest, as he scored off an open layup fifteen seconds into the matchup. With 18:05 left in the 1st half, Cabezudo found a mismatch in the Yellow Jackets defense, to score another layup giving the Dolphins a quick 4-0 lead. Two minutes and thirty-six seconds into the game (17-24 left in the 1st), sophomore Jake Segulin finally put Defiance on the scoreboard as he was able to connect on a fast break layup (4-2). The Dolphins turned the ball over a second time just eight seconds following Segulin’s bucket, and this time (another sophomore) Landen Swanner knocked down a three-point jumper to give the Yellow Jackets a 5-4 advantage. With 15:21 left in the 1st half, senior Aaron Darab for Mount St. Vincent scored a three-pointer of his own (to give the Dolphins the lead back) as he knocked one down from the left wing (7-5). The Yellow Jackets and Dolphins swapped the lead numerous times throughout the next three minutes, but Defiance was able to maintain a lead of five (16-11) at the midway point of the first half. In the next five and a half minutes (4:33 left in the first), the Dolphins would go on a 19-5 scoring run, to stretch out to a 28-22 lead. Mount St. Vincent led by as much as seven (32-25) in the late stages of the first half, before senior Jerome Johnson was able to connect on a buzzer beater from three-point range, to cut the Yellow Jackets deficit to four (32-28) into the halftime break. Sixteen seconds into the second half, senior Kiewaun Graham continued the late first half momentum swing, as he splashed home a deep three-pointer from the right wing. Thirty-one seconds later (19:13 left), Graham was fouled by Dolphins senior Aaron Darab. Graham was able to knock down both free-throws, and give Defiance their first lead since the midway point of the first half (33-32). The Yellow Jackets lead did not last line however, as Darab for Mount St. Vincent connected on another three-pointer from the left wing, to return the lead to the Dolphins (35-33). Twenty-eight seconds later (18:32 left), Darab splashed home another three-pointer from the left wing (his third) to stretch the lead back to five (38-33). Thirty seconds later (18:02 left), freshman Jordyn Jury managed to fight off the Dolphins defensive pressure to score a basket from three-point range, to cut the Defiance deficit back to two (38-36). In the next two minutes, Mount St. Vincent went on a 7-0 scoring run thanks to a pair of free-throws and a jumper from junior Joshua Cabezudo and a three-pointer from senior Aaron Darab (45-36). At the midway point of the second half, the Yellow Jackets had regained the lead once again following a miraculous 19-5 scoring run (55-50). The Dolphins fought back to retake the lead 56-55 with 8:38 left in the contest, which helped setup an incredible finish. Defiance and Mount St. Vincent swapped the lead numerous times in the final eight minutes of the contest, but in the end, the Yellow Jackets defense would play the deciding factor in the outcome of the game. Following a made free-throw from senior Jerome Johnson, Defiance found themselves up three (75-72) with twelve seconds left to play. The Dolphins struggled to find much separation from Defiance on the final possession, but following an offensive rebound from sophomore Adrian Rrac, Mount St. Vincent had a decent look from senior Aaron Darab from three-point range, but thankfully for Defiance the basket did not fall. The Yellow Jackets rebounded the ball as time expired, and therefore took the victory 75-72. Defiance finished with four players in double-digit scoring including senior Kiewaun Graham (16), senior Jerome Johnson (15), senior Te Jones (12), and junior Easton Lewis (12). The Dolphins finished with two players in double-digits including junior Joshua Cabezudo (25), and senior Aaron Darab (18). The game was tied seven different times, and the two squads swapped the lead fifteen times. Mount St. Vincent shot 43.9% (25-57) from the field, while Defiance shot 39.7% (23-58). From three-point range the Yellow Jackets shot 36.7% (11-30), compared to Mount St. Vincent’s 31.3% (5-16). Both teams shot well from the charity stripe, as Defiance shot 78.3% (18-23), while the Dolphins shot 77.3% (17-22). Mount St. Vincent out-rebounded the Yellow Jackets 40-32, including an 11-8 offensive rebound advantage. The Yellow Jackets bench dominated the Mount St. Vincent bench, as they outscored them 46-18.

When senior Grant Johnson was asked by The Defender about his thoughts following Monday’s victory over Mount St. Vincent, he expressed, “It was a great team win for us this afternoon. I thought we shared the ball very well and it proves true with the box score. This was not the prettiest game, but guys made plays when it counted and meant the most.“

12/21: (OT) Defiance 70 (5-5), Immaculata University 69 (3-9)

The Defiance College men’s basketball team traveled to Immaculata, Pennsylvania, Wednesday afternoon for a non-conference showdown against the Immaculata Mighty Macs. The starters in this contest included (senior) Marell Jordan, (senior) Te Jones, (senior) Dejsani Beamon, (junior) Easton Lewis, and (sophomore) Landen Swanner. Nine seconds into the contest, sophomore Landen Swanner got the scoring started for the Yellow Jackets as he capitalized off an open mid-range jumper (2-0). Forty-seven seconds later (19:04 left in the 1st), junior Gregory Vlassopoulos for the Mighty Macs tied things up at two a piece, as he connected on an open layup opportunity. With 18:25 left and 17:43 left in the 1st half, senior Tyler Tillery scored off a pair of wide open layups, to give Immaculata an early 6-2 lead. The Mighty Macs 4-0 scoring run did not end there, as a minute later (16:43 left), junior Gregory Vlassopoulos splashed home a three-pointer from the left wing off an assist from sophomore John Flood, to stretch Immaculata’s lead to seven (9-2). Starting at the six minute and eighteen second mark of the 1st half (13:42 left) and concluding at the seven minute and twenty-nine second mark (12:31 left), the Yellow Jackets went on a 6-0 scoring run of their own to cut the deficit back to one (9-8). The 6-0 scoring run saw baskets from a trio of players including a (senior) Te Jones short-range jump shot, (senior) Dejsani Beamon driving layup, and a (senior) Kiewaun Graham layup. At the midway point of the first half, Defiance found themselves down by three, 16-13. With 5:24 left in the first half, the Might Macs began would end up becoming a quick 7-3 Immaculata scoring advantage within the next two minutes of the contest. At the fourteen minute and thirty-six second mark of the 1st half, senior Tyler Tillery found an open lane to the rim for a layup, and he followed that up with a made free throw at the line. Sophomore Landen Swanner for Defiance interrupted the 3-0 scoring run for Immaculata with a three-pointer from the right wing (5:05 left in the 1st). Twenty-five seconds after Swanner’s shot from downtown (4:40 left in the 1st) junior Steven Dao for the Mighty Macs came off a strong screen made by junior Gregory Vlassopoulos, to capitalize on an open mid-range jumper (25-20). To conclude the 7-3 Immaculata scoring run, senior Tim Schultice splashed home a deep three-pointer from the top of the key (3:22 left in the 1st), off an assist from junior Gregory Vlassopoulos, to extend the Mighty Macs lead back to seven (27-20). Twenty seconds following Schultice’s three-pointer (3:02 left in the 1st), senior Marell Jordan connected on a three-pointer of his own, to cut the Yellow Jackets deficit back to four (27-23). With 1:20 left until halftime, freshman Evan Park for Defiance caught an offensive rebound off a (senior) Marell Jordan missed free-throw, and finished the play with a strong take to the rim, to cut the Yellow Jackets deficit even further, at two (27-25). Thirteen seconds later (1:07 left in the 1st), junior Gregory Vlassopoulos scored the final basket of the first half (for either team) as he splashed home yet another shot from downtown, off an assist from sophomore John Flood (30-25). Forty-four seconds into the second half, sophomore Landen Swanner drove coast-to-coast to the rim, to score the Yellow Jackets first points of the final twenty minutes (32-27). The Mighty Macs responded off Swanner’s basket with a 6-0 scoring run, thanks to a (sophomore) John Proctor layup and free throw, (junior) Gregory Vlassopoulos free throw, and (senior) Tim Schultice  layup (38-27). Beginning at the five minute and forty-seven second mark (14:13 left in the 1st), the Yellow Jackets began a scoring run of their own, as Defiance would go on a massive 12-0 scoring run over the next two and half minutes, to tie the game at 42 a piece with 11:46 left to play. Twenty-three seconds following Jordan’s layup to tie the game (11:23 left), junior Brandon Perez returned the lead back to the Mighty Macs, as he connected on an open layup off an assist from senior Keith Farmer (44-42). With 9:33 left, senior Te Jones splashed home a three-pointer from the left wing, which cut the Immaculata lead back to one (46-45). Twenty-three seconds later, junior Brandon Perez responded off the Jones three-pointer with a driving layup of his own, to return the lead back to three for the Mighty Macs (48-45). With 7:28 left, junior Easton Lewis provided the Yellow Jackets with their first lead of the second half, as he capitalized on an open lane to the basket (49-48). Immaculata quickly returned to the lead, however, as senior Tyler Tillery splashed home a mid-range jumper with 6:34 left to play, to give the Mighty Macs a 50-49 advantage. Nineteen seconds later (6:15 left), senior Marell Jordan was fouled by senior Tim Schultice on a jump shot, which put Jordan to the free-throw line for a pair. Jordan was able to connect on the first of two free-throw attempts, to tie things up at 50. With 5:24 left, senior Tyler Tillery once again returned the lead back to Immaculata, as he connected on a pair of free-throws following a foul by freshman Cole Wojciechowski (52-50). The Mighty Macs were able to extend the lead to five, 55-50, before senior Kiewaun Graham connected on an open layup off an assist from senior Dejsani Beamon, which cut the Defiance deficit to three (55-52) with 3:19 left to play. Senior Keith Farmer splashed home a mid-range jumper with 2:48 left to play for the Mighty Macs, which extended the Immaculata lead back to five (57-52). With 1:17 left, senior Jerome Johnson knocked down a huge three-pointer from the left wing, which cut the Defiance deficit back to two (57-55). Sixteen seconds later (1:01 left), senior Jabryis Heidelburg stole the ball from senior Keith Farmer, and made his way to the rim for an open layup, to tie the game at 57 with fifty-five seconds left to play. The Yellow Jackets were able to force a Might Macs miss with 0:28 left in the game, which allowed Defiance to hold for the final possession. Senior Marell Jordan put up a shot with three seconds left to play, but unfortunately it did not fall. Senior Tim Schultice picked up the defensive rebound for Immaculata, but time expired before he was able to put up a shot, which sent us to overtime. Twenty-five seconds into overtime, senior Jerome Johnson splashed home his second three pointer of the contest, allowing the Yellow Jackets to grab an early overtime lead of 60-57. Moments later (3:53 left), following a layup from sophomore John Flood, senior Jerome Johnson splashed home his third three-pointer of the contest (his second in overtime), to stretch the Defiance lead to four (63-59). The Mighty Macs responded by going on a 4-0 scoring run in the next two minutes (1:56 left), thanks to a pair of free-throws from (sophomore) John Flood and a (junior) Steven Dao hook shot, to tie the game at 63. Defiance and Immaculata traded numerous buckets in the final two minutes of overtime, but with just two seconds remaining senior Marell Jordan found sophomore Landen Swanner for what would be the dagger, as Swanner scored the game winning layup to give Defiance the impressive victory 70-69. The Yellow Jackets finished with a trio of players in double-digit scoring including senior Marell Jordan (15), senior Te Jones (13), and sophomore Landen Swanner (11). Immaculata also finished with a trio of players in double-digits including junior Gregory Vlassopoulos (14), sophomore John Proctor (14), and senior Tyler Tillery (13). The Mighty Macs shot 44.1% (26-59) from the field, while Defiance shot 40.3% (27-67). The Yellow Jackets hit nine three pointers compared to Immaculata’s three. The Mighty Macs shot an impressive 87.5% (14-16) from the charity stripe, while Defiance struggled from the free-throw line shooting just 50% (7-14). The Yellow Jackets out-rebounded the Mighty Macs 35-32, including a 12-3 offensive rebound advantage. The game was tied nine times, with eight different lead changes. Immaculata had the lead for 80% (35:59) of the contest, compared to the Yellow Jackets 10.6% (4:45). Defiance had 15 turnovers in the contest, and that led to 14 Might Macs points. Immaculata turned the ball over 12 times, which led to eight Yellow Jackets points. Defiance dominated the bench points category 39-16.

Home

Saturday, Dec. 31

Women’s Basketball (5-5) vs Mount St. Joseph University (3-5)

Location: Karl H. Weaner Center

(2:00 pm)

Away

Saturday, Dec. 31

Men’s Basketball (5-5) at Mount St. Joseph University (2-9)

(3:00 pm)

By: Brandon Unverferth

Photography: Hanna Young

Women’s Basketball: Tue. Dec. 13, Thurs. Dec. 15, and Sun. Dec. 18

12/13: Defiance 67 (2-5), Adrian College 59 (3-5)

The Defiance College women’s basketball team traveled to Adrian, Michigan, Tuesday evening to take on the Adrian Bulldogs in non-conference action. The starters in this contest included (senior) Nicole Sims, (senior) Lexie Sparks, (senior) Lauren Criblez, (junior) McKenzie Cooper, and (junior) Cait Good. Thirty-nine seconds into the game, junior Cait Good splashed home an open three-pointer for the Yellow Jackets first points of the contest. Nearly three-minutes later, senior Lexie Sparks was the next player to find the bottom of the net, as she knocked in a mid-range jumper to give Defiance a 5-0 early lead. Four seconds prior to the midway point of the first quarter (5:04 left in the 1st), the Bulldogs finally made their way onto the scoreboard as freshman Ashlyn Weatherly was able to connect on a layup to make cut the Yellow Jackets lead to six (8-2). Adrian finished the first quarter on a 8-0 scoring run, which tied things up at eighteen after ten minutes of play. Twenty-four seconds into the second quarter, freshman Zadria King was able to score her first points of the contest (off an open layup), to tie things up at 20. Midway through the first quarter, Defiance held a five point lead (30-25). With 1-minute and 30 seconds left until the half, junior Julia Tierman connected on a three-pointer off an assist from sophomore Kylie Skidmore, to tie the game at 34. Skidmore followed her three-pointer with a pair of made free throws to give Adrian the lead, but shortly after junior McKenzie Cooper splashed home a pair of free-throws her own self, to tie the game at 36 into the halftime break. Junior Kylie Brinkman opened the second half with her third three-pointer of the contest (9:46 left in the 3rd), to give Defiance the lead 39-36. Midway through the third, the Yellow Jackets maintained a short advantage of 42-40. With 4:50 left in the 3rd, junior Julia Tierman connected on another bucket from downtown, as she put the Bulldogs back in front 43-42. Junior Kylie Brinkman bit her fifth (2:51 left in the 3rd) and sixth (0:49 left) three-pointers of the contest towards the end of the 3rd quarter, as she put the Yellow Jackets back out in front 52-49. Coming into the final ten minutes of play, Defiance had a slight (two-point) lead over Adrian 53-51. With 7:39 left, sophomore Bailey Taylor found her way to the rim for an open layup, as she tied the game at 57. Twenty-four seconds later (7:15 left), junior Cait Good connected on a layup and senior Nicole Sims connected on pair of free throws (6:50 left) to give the Yellow Jackets a four point lead (61-57). Both teams went on a cold streak following Sims’s free-throws, as the next basket of the contest came with 2:59 left as junior Cait Good capitalized on an open jump shot from the right wing 63-57). In the end, Defiance came out on top 67-59. The Yellow Jackets finished with a trio of players in double-digits including junior Kylie Brinkman (18), junior Cait Good (11), and senior Taylor Steinbrunner (10). Adrian also finished with a trio of players in double-digit scoring including junior Julia Tierman (16), sophomore Kylie Skidmore (14), and freshman Ashlyn Weatherly (10). Junior Kylie Brinkman shot an incredible 6-7 (85.7%) from behind the arc. Defiance shot 44.6% (25-56) from the field, while Adrian shot 34.4% (22-64). The Yellow Jackets hit 10 threes on twenty-three attempts (43.5%), while Adrian shot 19.2% (5-26) from the behind the arc. The Bulldogs led the way in free-throw percentage shooting 83.3% (10-12), compared to Defiance’s 70% (7-10) from the charity stripe. Each team recorded 33 rebounds, including an Adrian advantage 12-10 offensively and a Defiance 23-21 defense advantage. The largest lead for the Yellow Jackets was nine (15-6, with 3:04 left in the 1st) while the largest lead for Adrian was three (45-42, with 3:13 left in the 3rd). Defiance dominated the bench points category 39-29.

When junior McKenzie Cooper was asked by The Defender about her thoughts following the non-conference victory at Adrian, she expressed,
“I think tonight was the closest we have been to a complete game. After focusing on rebounding for the past week, we finally broke even on the boards. I think getting this win under our belts helped us realize that when we execute, we can compete with anybody. Overall, I am really happy about the road win and hoping to get another one Thursday at Hiram!“

12/15: Defiance 68 (3-5), Hiram College 54 (4-4)

The Yellow Jackets women’s basketball team traveled to Hiram, Ohio, Thursday evening for a non-conference showdown against the Hiram Terriers. The starters in this contest included (graduate) Taylor Day, (senior) Lauren Criblez, (senior) Taylor Steinbrunner, (sophomore) Teagan Hunt, and (freshman) Kalista Friday. Three minutes and thirty-one seconds into the game, freshman Kalista Friday put the Yellow Jackets on the scoreboard, as she was able to knock down a pair of free-throws from the charity stripe (2-2). Nineteen seconds later (6:10 left in the 1st), junior Maddie Rakestraw splashed home a bucket from downtown, to give the Terriers a 5-2 advantage. At the midway point of the first quarter, Hiram had a slight lead over the Yellow Jackets 5-4. Both teams went scoreless over the next two and a half minutes, before junior McKenzie Cooper found her way to the rim, to give Defiance their first lead of the contest at 6-5. With 1:59 and 1:28 left in the first quarter, junior Maddie Rakestraw knocked down a pair of three-pointers (her third of the contest) to stretch Hiram’s lead out to five (11-6). Freshman Ava Mory found an open lane to the bucket for a layup with fifty-six seconds left in the first, to conclude the Terriers 8-0 scoring run. Senior Lexie Sparks was able to connect on a pair of free-throws (0:54 left in the first) and graduate Taylor Day capitalized on a short-range jumper (0:27 left), which cut Defiance’s deficit to three (13-10). Senior Taylor Steinbrunner scored the first points of the second quarter for the Yellow Jackets, as she connected on a pair of free-throws following a foul by freshman Ava Mory (15-12). With 7:33 left in the second quarter, junior Cait Good “buried“ a long-range triple, which tied the game at 15. At the midway point of the second quarter, the Yellow Jackets regained a lead of 21-20. Defiance led by as much as ten (32-22) in the late stages of the second quarter, but Hiram was able to cut the Yellow Jacket lead to six (32-26) into the halftime break. Junior McKenzie Cooper splashed home a three-pointer to open the second half (8:49 left in the third), as she stretched the Yellow Jackets lead back to nine (35-26). Shortly after (8:10 left in the third), senior Taylor Steinbrunner connected a three-pointer of her own, to give Defiance a thirteen point lead (39-26). At the midway point of the third quarter, Defiance maintained a double-digit lead of ten (41-31). Both teams remained scoreless for nearly two and a half minutes, before senior Haley Thompson scored via a pull up jumper (2:36 left in the third) to cut Hiram’s deficit back to single digits (41-33). To conclude the third quarter, Defiance stretched their lead back to thirteen (48-35). The Terriers and Yellow Jackets went back and forth in the fourth quarter, but in the end, Defiance outscored Hiram 20-19 in the final ten minutes of the contest to take the victory 68-54. The Yellow Jackets finished with a trio of players in double-digit scoring including freshman Kalista Friday (18), senior Taylor Steinbrunner (14), and senior Lexie Sparks (12). Hiram finished with two players in double-digits including sophomore Brooke Hickman (19) and junior Maddie Rakestraw (11). Defiance shot 39% (23-59) from the field, while Hiram shot 29.2% (19-65). Both teams struggled from three point range as the Yellow Jackets shot 31.6% (6-19), while the Terriers shot 20% (5-25). Defiance shot an impressive 84.2% (16-19) from the free-throw line, while Hiram shot 78.6% (11-14) from the charity stripe. The Terriers out-rebounded Defiance 39-28, including an offensive rebound advantage of 15-7. The Yellow Jackets bench dominated Hiram’s bench, as Defiance outscored the Terriers 44-12 in the bench points category. One of the main differences in the game was turnovers, as Hiram committed 22 compared to Defiance’s 11.

12/18: Defiance 66 (4-5), Wooster College 40 (1-9)

The Defiance College women’s basketball team welcomed the Wooster Fighting Scots to the Karl H. Weaner Center Sunday afternoon for a non-conference showdown. The starters in this contest included (senior) Nicole Sims, (senior) Lexie Sparks, (junior) McKenzie Cooper, (junior) Kylie Brinkman, and (junior) Cait Good. Fifty-five seconds into the game, junior McKenzie Cooper scored the first points of the contest for the Yellow Jackets, as she capitalized on an open lane to the basket for the layup (2-0). Forty-one seconds later (8:24 left in the 1st), junior Cait Good scored a basket of her own to give Defiance a 4-2 advantage. At the midway point of the first quarter, Defiance had stretched their lead to six (8-2). With 2:48 left in the first, graduate Taylor Day found her way to the rim for a layup to give Defiance a 10-4 lead. In the final two and a half minutes of the first quarter, Defiance went on a 8-2 scoring run to stretch the lead to double-digits (18-6). The Yellow Jackets opened the second quarter on a 5-0 run, which extended the Defiance lead to fifteen with 7:45 left until halftime, at 23-8. At the half, Defiance had a lead of fifteen (31-16). With 5:47 left in the third, the Fighting Scots trimmed the lead down to fourteen, before Defiance stretched the lead back up to eighteen to conclude the quarter (45-27). The Yellow Jackets kept their momentum in the fourth quarter and captured the victory 66-40. In Defiance’s third straight game with 60 points or more, 11 different players got in the scorers column including senior Taylor Steinbrunner (15), graduate Taylor Day (10), junior Cait Good (9), junior McKenzie Cooper (8), senior Lauren Criblez (7), junior Kylie Brinkman (5), freshman Kalista Friday (5), freshman Zadria King (2), freshman Kloey Webb (2), senior Nicole Sims (2), and senior Lexie Sparks (1). Wooster scoring came from seven different players including freshman Ella Biondi (12), freshman Shalen Guiliams (9), senior Namara Rwakatare (8), freshman Nella Dean (5), freshman Chloe Pordash (3), freshman Erica Beaty (2), and junior Alyssa Chritz (1). Defiance shot 38.2% (26-68) from the field, while the Fighting Scots shot 27.8% (15-54). Both teams struggled to make shots from beyond the arc, as Defiance shot 26.1% (6-23) and Wooster shot 17.2% (5-29). Defiance shot an impressive 80% (8-10) from the free-throw line, while the Fighting Scots shot 62.5% (5-8) from the charity stripe. Defiance out-rebounded Wooster 51-33. The Yellow Jackets held the Fighting Scots to just six second-chance points, while Defiance recorded 16. The points in the paint category was dominated by the Yellow Jackets 26-16, while bench points was also controlled by Defiance 41-18.

Men’s Basketball: Wed. Dec. 14

Defiance 85 (3-5), Olivet College 73 (2-5)

The Yellow Jackets men’s basketball team hosted the Olivet Comets at the Karl H. Weaner Center Wednesday evening for a non-conference matchup. The starters in this contest included (senior) Marell Jordan, (senior) Dejsani Beamon, (sophomore) Landen Swanner, (freshman) Evan Conrad, and (freshman) Jordyn Jury. Seventeen seconds into the game, senior Marell Jordan capitalized on an open mid-range jump shot to give Defiance their first points of the contest and a 2-0 early lead. Jordan’s opening basket was the start of a Yellow Jackets 11-2 scoring run, which allowed Defiance to jump out to an impressive 11-2 lead only 2-minutes and thirty one seconds in. At the midway point of the first half, the Yellow Jackets maintained a lead of 22-18. Defiance went on a 8-0 scoring run from the 11:19 mark of the first half, through the 15:03 mark, to stretch the Yellow Jackets lead to 33-25. The Yellow Jackets concluded the first half on another scoring run, this time a 7-2 advantage, to take a 46-34 lead into the halftime break. Senior Marell Jordan had 19 points through the first twenty minutes, off 8-9 shooting from the field, including 2-3 from beyond the arc. Sophomore Landen Swanner had 13 points at the half, off 5-9 shooting from the field, including a huge three-pointer hit late in the first half. Fifteen seconds into the second half, senior Derrick Johnson splashed home a quick three-pointer for the Comets, to cut the deficit back to single digits (nine). Forty-two seconds later (19:11 left), sophomore Landen Swanner continued off his scoring momentum from the first half, as he found an open lane to the bucket for a quick layup (50-39). Senior Noah Wiswary answered Swanner’s quick basket with a three-pointer of his own, as he cut the deficit to eight (50-42). At both the 17:37 mark and 17:07 mark, sophomore Landen Swanner splashed home a pair of three-pointers adding to his point total of 23, which helped stretch the Yellow Jackets lead back to twelve (56-44). At the 16:09 mark, Swanner was able to find the back of the net with another open layup (58-47). The layup concluded Swanner’s twelve straight point scoring run for Defiance. At the midway point of the second half, Defiance managed to build up their largest lead of the game at fifteen (71-56). Olivet was able to cut the deficit back to eleven (71-60) with less than nine minutes to go, but the Yellow Jackets fought strong in the final eight minutes of the game to take the victory 85-73. Sophomore Landen Swanner led all scorers in the contest with an impressive 33 points, while senior Marell Jordan finished with a strong 32 points. Senior Te Jones also finished in double-digits for the Yellow Jackets, as he added 11 points to the Defiance scoring total. Olivet finished with a trio of players in double-digit scoring including freshman Haidyn Garrison (14), sophomore Lorris Upshaw (13), and senior Tevin Ali (12). Defiance shot 47.1% (32-68) from the field, while the Comets shot 46.3% (25-54). The Yellow Jackets shot an impressive 47.6% (10-21) from behind the arc, while Olivet shot 31.6% (6-19) from three-point range. Olivet was consistent from the free-throw line in this contest as they shot 89.5% (17-19), while Defiance shot 64.7% (11-17) from the charity stripe. Olivet out-rebounded Defiance 38-30. The difference in the game was turnovers as Defiance only had 8, compared to the Comets 19. The turnover differential resulted in a 24-7 Yellow Jacket points advantage.

When senior Grant Johnson was asked by The Defender about his thoughts following Wednesday’s victory over Olivet, he expressed, “Tonight was a great team win. We finally executed defensively all 40 minutes to allow our offense to explode! We are heading into our New York trip looking to snag two more wins before Christmas.“

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Monday, Dec. 19

Women’s Basketball (4-5) vs Kalamazoo College (0-10)

Location: Karl H. Weaner Center

(7:00 pm)

Away

Monday, Dec. 19

Men’s Basketball (3-5) at Mount St. Vincent College (3-6)

(2:00 pm)

Wednesday, Dec. 21

Men’s Basketball (3-5) at Immaculata University (3-7)

(2:00 pm)

By: Brandon Unverferth

Wrestling: Thurs. Dec. 8

Defiance 40, Wilmington College 12 (Wilmington Dual)

The Defiance College wrestling team welcomed the Wilmington Quakers to the Karl H. Weaner Center Thursday evening for the Wilmington Dual. Both squads were short-handed in this matchup, which led to numerous forfeits. The 125 weight class saw no result, as neither team had a wrestler present for this weight class. In the 133 weight class, senior Seth Majewski won by forfeit, while sophomore Kliever Joseph was victorious via forfeit in the 141 weight class. In the 149 weight class, junior Brent Eicher won by forfeit, while freshman Daniel Gravette was the fourth and final Yellow Jacket victorious via forfeit in the 165 weight class. In the 157 weight class, senior Alejandro Castro faced off against sophomore Garrett Simmons, where Castro took the victory by fall (5:52). In the 174 weight class, Wilmington senior Adrian Salomone won by forfeit. In the 184 weight class, sophomore Joey Perez competed against freshman Alexander Ruth. Joey won by a major decision of 15-1. In the 197 weight class, senior Jack Minner won by fall (1:54) over Quaker freshman Brayden Smith. Finally, in the 285 weight class, freshman Lesly Fleurissaint faced off against junior Mo Sissoko. Sissoko won by fall (2:07).

Men’s Basketball: Sat. Dec. 10

Hanover College 73 (5-2), Defiance 46 (2-5)

The Yellow Jackets men’s basketball team traveled to Hanover, Indiana, Saturday afternoon for an HCAC conference showdown against the Hanover Panthers. The starters in this contest included (senior) Marell Jordan, (senior) Kiewaun Graham, (senior) Te Jones, (junior) Easton Lewis, and (sophomore) Landen Swanner. Forty-one seconds into the game, senior Marell Jordan got the scoring started for Defiance as he knocked down a midrange jumper to tie the game at 2 early on. Following Jordan’s basket, the Panthers went on a 13-0 scoring run over a two-and-a-half minute stretch (15:42 left in the 1st), to push the Hanover lead to 15-2. Midway through the first half, Defiance was able to trim the Panthers lead to six (19-13). In the next six minutes, Hanover went on quite an impressive scoring run as they scored 15 straight unanswered points (4:45 left in the 1st) to stretch the lead to 34-15. At the half, the Panthers had a lead of nineteen (42-23). Sophomore Landen Swanner was the first Yellow Jacket to find the scoreboard in the second half, as he connected on a long-range jumper. Beginning at the 3-minute mark of the second half through the 7-minute mark, Hanover went on a 11-0 scoring run to stretch the Panthers lead to twenty (58-28). At the midway point of the second half, Hanover had a comfortable lead of 62-39. The Defiance bench saw a large amount of action in the final seven minutes of this contest. In the end, Hanover captured the victory 73-46. Senior Marell Jordan led all players in scoring with 27 points. Jordan also recorded four steals and six rebounds. The Panthers had a trio of players in double-digits, including senior Ty Houston (20), sophomore Coleman Sater (17), and junior Brice Gilman (11). Hanover shot 50.9% (28-55) from the field, while Defiance shot 33.9% (20-59). The Yellow Jackets were perfect from the free throw line (2-2), while the Panthers shot 70.6% (12-17) from the charity stripe. Hanover out-rebounded Defiance 40-29, including a 12-10 offensive rebound advantage. The Panthers dominated the points in the paint category 44-14.

When senior Grant Johnson was asked by The Defender about his thoughts following Saturday’s matchup at Hanover, he expressed, “It was great to see us compete from the start to the very end of the contest, but we gotta execute better if we want to start seeing the results we know we are capable of. We have a trio of non-conference games to figure it out.“

Women’s Basketball: Sat. Dec. 10

Hanover College 68 (6-2), Defiance 54 (1-5)

The Defiance College women’s basketball team traveled to Hanover, Indiana, Saturday afternoon to take on the Hanover Panthers in HCAC conference action. The starters in this contest included (senior) Taylor Steinbrunner, (senior) Nicole Sims, (junior) McKenzie Cooper, (junior) Cait Good, and (sophomore) Kaitlin Paul. Senior Lauren Criblez got the Yellow Jackets scoring started 3 minutes and seven seconds into the game, as she found an open lane to the basket for the layup. Hanover followed Criblez’s score with a 5-0 scoring run, which extended the Panthers lead to 8-3 (4:07 left in the 1st). A few moments later (2:49 left in the 1st), junior Cait Good was able to find an open lane to bucket for a layup, thanks to an assist from senior Taylor Steinbrunner. Following Good’s basket, the Panthers went on another 5-0 scoring run to end the opening quarter with a 13-5 advantage. Eight seconds into the second quarter, junior McKenzie Cooper knocked in a midrange jumper from the top of the key, which cut the Hanover lead to six. Midway through the second quarter, junior Reese Sexton for Hanover connected on a pair of free throws following a Defiance foul by junior McKenzie Cooper (21-11). At the half, Hanover was able to maintain a double-digit lead of ten, 29-19. Ten seconds into the third quarter, junior McKenzie Cooper splashed home a three-pointer, which cut the Hanover advantage back to single-digits (29-22). Hanover quickly answered off Cooper’s triple as they went on a 7-0 scoring run to stretch the lead to fourteen (36-22). Midway through the third quarter, the Yellow Jackets went on a 9-0 scoring run of their own, as freshman Kalista Friday punched in a pair of three pointers and junior Cait Good connected on a shot from downtown as well (3:29 left in the third). The Panthers concluded the third quarter on a 8-0 scoring run, which stretched Hanover’s lead back to fourteen (48-34). Just like the first quarter, senior Lauren Criblez found an open lane to the basket to start the fourth quarter with a layup, as she capitalized off an assist from senior Taylor Steinbrunner (48-36). With 6:42 left, freshman Ali Mowen splashed home a three-pointer from the left wing, which cut the Panthers lead back to single digits at eight (52-44). Thirty-two seconds later (6:10 left), senior Lexie Sparks capitalized off a steal from freshman Ali Mowen by finishing the fast break opportunity with an open layup, which cut the Panthers lead to six (52-46). In the next four minutes, however, Hanover went on a 7-0 scoring run to stretch the lead back to thirteen, with a pair of jumpers from junior Taylor Heath and a three-pointer from sophomore Katherine Benter. Junior Cait Good responded with a three-pointer of her own thirteen seconds later (2:08 left), to cut the deficit back to ten (59-49). The Panthers ended the game on a 9-5 scoring run, to take the victory 68-54. Hanover finished with a trio of players in double-digit scoring, including junior Reese Sexton (12), senior Callie Wilder (11), and junior Taylor Heath (10). The Yellow Jackets finished with two players in double-digits, including junior Cait Good (13) and senior Lexie Sparks (10). Hanover shot 37.9% (22-58) from the field, while Defiance shot 33.9% (20-59). The Yellow Jackets knocked down eleven 3-pointers, including nine in the second half alone, while Hanover was only able to connect on five opportunities from behind the arc. Hanover scored 19 points from the charity stripe, while Defiance took just five attempts in the contest from the free-throw line. The Panthers out-rebounded Defiance 46-28, including a 15-8 offensive rebound advantage.

When senior Nicole Sims was asked by The Defender about her thoughts following Saturday’s matchup at Hanover, she expressed, “We played hard from start to finish. Our defense was starting to come together, but we just couldn’t hit shots this afternoon that we normally capitalize on. We kept it a close game and had great runs, with help from their turnovers. Once we are able to consistently execute on both ends of the floor, we will see the results we are looking for.“

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Wednesday, Dec. 14

Men’s Basketball (2-5) vs Olivet College (2-4)

Location: Karl H. Weaner Center

(7:30 pm)

Sunday, Dec. 18

Women’s Basketball (1-5) vs Wooster College (1-8)

Location: Karl H. Weaner Center

(1:00 pm)

Away

Tuesday, Dec. 13

Women’s Basketball (1-5) at Adrian College (3-4)

(7:00 pm)

Thursday, Dec. 15

Women’s Basketball (1-5) at Hiram College (4-3)

(7:00 pm)

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)