Director: Matthew Warchus Where to watch: Netflix By: Mallory Timbrook
This is a musical. It has singing, like all musicals. Matilda the Musical is a film made for children and families, but the combination of humor, sass, and defiance makes it an excellent movie for adults.
Initially, I was a little worried and thought I would hate the film, but boy, was I wrong. Emma Thompson took on the absolutely iconic role of Miss Trunchbull, and she slayed. What a versatile queen. She had big shoes to fill, but she did exceptionally well. I wonder if she has a fear of newts after filming.
Lashana Lynch, who most will recognize from Captain Marvel and Dr. Strange: Multiverse of Magic, starred as the sweet and loving Miss Honey. I was worried about her singing ability. Way too many actors think they can sing, and most of them can not, but she did wonderfully. Lynch, who has primarily acted in action films, was a gentle Miss Honey who is the definition of cottage core.
The adorable young lady who played Matilda, Alisha Weir, was an absolute delight. She had such an angelic voice and was more defiant than Matilda from the 1996 film. Matilda’s parents in the musical can never live up to Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman from the original film, but they did their best.
The true star of the film, though, was Bruce Bogtrotter. Played by Charlie Hodson-Prior, he slayed. His final song almost moved me to tears (not really, but it could’ve). What a bop; it should definitely be on a Top 100 list.
All in all, if you’re a sucker for cute family films or musicals, this movie is great. I’m sure if you watch it on your next date night, you will get some points in the ‘sweet’ category from your significant other. Is this movie going to win an Oscar? Definitely not, but it might make your heart a little happy and destress your brain from the effects of college.
Verity, by New York Times Best Selling Author, Colleen Hoover, leaves readers amazed at what the next plot twist will be. This story starts out in Manhattan and then switches over to Vermont, followed by a move to North Carolina. This book continually makes the reader question what will happen next as well as what the truth actually is.
Lowen Ashleigh is a writer, not a writer that is extremely famous, but a writer that manages to write and make enough money not to have to get a day-to-day job. After spending the last few months taking care of her mother, she is just barely dodging a financial crisis. A brief encounter with a stranger, Jeremy Crawford, on the morning of an important meeting with a new publisher gets her foot in the door for a new opportunity. An opportunity that brings her a little ways out of her comfort zone, finishing a series for an esteemed author, Verity Crawford, that was injured in an accident. Accepting the offer is just the beginning of a story that Lowen didn’t know she would be getting herself into. She shows up at Verity’s mansion and gets ready to sort through years worth of notes and outlines. Sifting through the notes seems to be going smoothly, that is, until she finds a manuscript of an unfinished autobiography written by none other than Verity herself. Lowen decides to keep the bone-chilling manuscript from Jeremy, a father that suffered from two horrific losses. Realizing that her feelings for Jeremy were growing the more time that she spent there, she comes to the conclusion that showing Jeremy the manuscript might be the last piece to get him away from Verity and fall for her.
This story kept my attention to the very last page. The plot twists and turns were almost impossible to follow. This book has left me thinking about the ending since I finished it. My mouth literally dropped reading the last ten or so pages. I have no words for how well this book was written and kept the reader’s attention. I literally could not put it down and finished it in one sitting.
Overall, I give this book a 5/5 because there was no way to predict the ending. This book was a real page-turner.
1/4: Bluffton University 70 (4-8), Defiance 69 (5-7)
Sophomore #30 Landen Swanner fights his way to the rim at Bluffton
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)
Senior #24 Te Jones splashes home a three-pointer vs Transylvania
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)
Senior #20 Lexie Sparks scores a contested layup at Bluffton
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)
Freshman #4 Kalista Friday scores over a Pioneer defender Saturday afternoon vs Transylvania
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)
Defiance 55 (6-5), Mount St. Joseph University 39 (4-6)
Senior #32 Taylor Steinbrunner drives to the bucket vs Mount St. Joseph
The Defiance College women’s basketball team hosted the Mount St. Joseph Lions (HCAC conference opponent) Saturday afternoon at the Karl H. Weaner Center for a special New Years’ Eve Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference matchup. The starters in this contest included (senior) Nicole Sims, (senior) Lexie Sparks, (junior) McKenzie Cooper, (junior) Kylie Brinkman, and (junior) Cait Good. Senior Lexie Sparks scored the first points of the contest for the Yellow Jackets thirty-five seconds in as she was able to connect on a mid-range jumper to give Defiance an early 2-0 advantage. Twenty-one seconds later (9:25 left in the 1st), junior Kylie Brinkman stole the ball from Lions junior Ellie Oldendick, and drove all the way to the basket for a Yellow Jackets layup (4-0). With 8:12 left in the first quarter, junior Ellie Oldendick splashed home a three-pointer from the right wing for Mount St. Joseph, to help the Lions reach the scoreboard (4-3). Nearly two minutes later (6:11 left in the 1st), senior Chloe Jansen gave Mount St. Joseph their first lead of the contest, as she capitalized on an open layup (5-4). Both teams remained scoreless for the next two minutes, before freshman Karlee Mills connected on a deep shot from downtown, to stretch the Lions lead to four (8-4). With 3:24 left in the 1st, Mount St. Joseph concluded their 10-0 scoring run with another basket from Mills, this time coming from inside the paint (10-4). In the next minute and a half (1:57 left in the 1st), graduate Taylor Day went on her own 5-0 scoring run as she scored on a pair of layups and a free throw (10-9). With 1:02 left in the 1st, senior Nicole Sims connected on an open layup to tie the game at eleven. Both teams had a few open looks at the basket in the final minute of the first, but neither team was able to connect. Twenty-one seconds into the second quarter, junior Ellie Oldendick splashed home another three-pointer (this time from the left wing) to give Mount St. Joseph the lead back 14-11. Fifty-three seconds later (8:46 left in the 2nd), senior Chloe Jansen for the Lions connected on an old-fashioned three-point play, which extended the Mount St. Joseph lead to six (17-11). With 7:41 left in the 2nd, freshman Kalista Friday scored her first points of the contest via a long-range jump shot, to cut the deficit to four (17-13). The rest of the second quarter went back and forth, with the score being tied at nineteen into the half break. Just like the start of the first quarter, senior Lexie Sparks began the third quarter by scoring the first points of the second half, as she drove to the rim for an open layup to give the Yellow Jackets the lead 21-19. Spark’s layup began what would eventually lead to a 6-0 Defiance scoring run (25-19). At the midway point of the third quarter, Defiance maintained a slim advantage over the Lions 31-30. Beginning at the 6:07 mark of the third (3:53 left) and ending at the 6:57 mark, freshman Kalista Friday went on a quick 4-0 scoring run of her own, as she connected on a mid-range jump shot and an open layup, to give Defiance a five-point lead (35-30). With just two seconds left in the third quarter, senior Taylor Steinbrunner splashed home a mid-range jump shot for Defiance, to give the Yellow Jackets a four-point lead (39-35) to start the fourth quarter. Thirty-two seconds into the fourth quarter, freshman Emily Elliot found her way to the rim for a layup, as she cut the Defiance lead to two (39-37). With 7:47 left in the contest, junior McKenzie Cooper splashed home a mid-range jumper to stretch the Yellow Jackets lead back to four (41-37). Defiance outscored the Lions 15-4 in the fourth quarter, which helped give the Yellow Jackets the comfortable victory 55-39. Defiance finished with a pair of players in double-figures, including freshman Kalista Friday (14) and senior Taylor Steinbrunner (10). Junior Ellie Oldendick (14) was the lone double-digit scorer for Mount St. Joseph in this contest. The Yellow Jackets shot 39.6% (21-53), while Mount St Joseph shot 20.3% (13-64). The Lions shot 17.6% (6-34) from three-point range, while Defiance failed to make any baskets from downtown, shooting 0-10. Mount St. Joseph shot 70% (7-10) from the free-throw line, while Defiance shot 68.4% (13-19) from the charity stripe. The Yellow Jackets out-rebounded the Lions 47-42. Defiance’s bench outscored the Mount St. Joseph bench 37-7.
Men’s Basketball: Sat. Dec. 31
Mount St. Joseph University 67 (3-9), Defiance 34 (5-6)
The Yellow Jackets men’s basketball team traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio, Saturday afternoon for a special New Years’ Eve HCAC conference showdown against the Mount St. Joseph Lions. The starters in this contest included (senior) Marell Jordan, (senior) Te Jones, (senior) Dejsani Beamon, (sophomore) Landen Swanner, and (freshman) Evan Conrad. One minute and nineteen seconds into the game (18:41 left in the 1st), senior Dejsani Beamon scored the first points of the contest for the Yellow Jackets as he converted on a jump shot from mid-range to tie the game at two early. The Lions followed Beamon’s bucket with a quick 4-0 scoring run to extend their lead to four with 16:33 left in the first half. One minute and eighteen seconds later (15:15 left in the 1st), senior Marell Jordan connected on an open shot from downtown, to cut the Mount St Joseph lead to one (6-5). At the midway point of the first half, Defiance found themselves with a four-point lead (13-9). Nearly two minutes would tick off the clock before the next basket, as with 8:26 left in the first half, freshman Matthew Menninger splashed home a three-pointer of his own, to cut the deficit back to one (13-12). One minute and fourteen seconds later (7:22 left in the 1st), freshman Nate Kratzer returned the lead back to the Lions as he connected on a long-distance jumper (14-13). The Yellow Jackets and Lions swapped the lead numerous times in the remainder of the first half, but in the end, Mount St. Joseph held a 26-23 lead into the locker room. To start the second half, the Lions quickly extended their lead to 18, as they started the second half on a 15-0 scoring run. With 11:59 left in the contest, the Yellow Jackets finally scored their first points of the second half, as senior Marell Jordan converted on a fastbreak layup to finally end the Lions run (43-27). Defiance was unable to stop Mount St. Joseph in the second half, as the Lions outscored the Yellow Jackets 41-11. Defiance shot 16% from the field in the second half, while Mount St. Joseph shot an impressive 55%. In the end, the Lions took the victory 67-34. The Lions finished with a trio of players in double-digits, including sophomore Dayne Gardner (14), senior Jack Kolar (10), and sophomore Luke Collinsworth (10). Senior Marell Jordan was the lone Yellow Jacket in double-figures, as he scored 13. Mount St. Joseph shot 44.9% (22-49) from the field overall, while Defiance shot 28% (14-50). The Lions splashed home fourteen three-pointers on twenty-four attempts, while the Yellow Jackets shot 1-17 from downtown. Mount St. Joseph shot an impressive 81.3% (13-16) from the free-throw line, while Defiance shot 62.5% (5-8) from the charity stripe. The Lions out-rebounded the Yellow Jackets 38-30.
Home
Saturday, Jan. 7
Women’s Basketball (6-5) vs Transylvania University (12-0)
Location: Karl H. Weaner Center
(1:00 pm)
Men’s Basketball (5-6) vs Transylvania University (4-7)
Location: Karl H. Weaner Center
(3:00 pm)
Away
Wednesday, Jan. 4
Women’s Basketball (6-5) at Bluffton University (7-4)
(6:00 pm)
Men’s Basketball (5-6) at Bluffton University (3-8)
(8:00 pm)
Saturday, Jan. 7
Wrestling at Waynesburg University (Waynesburg Invitational)
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)
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)
Junior #33 Cait Good moments before making an assist in the first half vs Wooster
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)
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.“
With Christmas being right around the corner, I thought that writing an article on interesting Christmas facts would help to get people in the Christmas spirit.
To start with, one interesting fact is that the popular song Jingle Bells was not originally a Christmas song. The song “Jingle Bells” was originally a Thanksgiving song. According to “35 Interesting Christmas Facts for a Fun Holiday Trivia Night,” “ James Lord Pierpont wrote the song called “One Horse Open Sleigh” for his church’s Thanksgiving concert in the mid-19th century.” In 1857, the song was then released as “Jingle Bells” and is still one of the most popular Christmas songs.
Another popular Christmas song called “Silent Night” is known as the most recorded Christmas song. According to “35 Interesting Christmas Facts for a Fun Holiday Trivia Night,” “Silent Night earns that title as the most recorded Christmas song in history.” “35 Interesting Christmas Facts for a Fun Holiday Trivia Night” also states that “It’s had more than 733 different versions copyrighted since 1978.”
A third interesting fact is that Christmas decorating sends thousands of people to the emergency rooms each year. According to “35 Interesting Christmas Facts for a Fun Holiday Trivia Night,” “In fact, the Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that 14,700 people visit hospital emergency rooms each November and December from holiday-related decorating accidents.”
During the time from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, millions of packages will be mailed and shipped each year. According to “35 Interesting Christmas Facts for a Fun Holiday Trivia Night”, “Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, the U.S. Postal Service delivered an estimated 910 million packages in 2019- in addition to 15 billion pieces of mail.” These numbers included gifts for loved ones, cards and Christmas Letters, and holiday credit card bills.
Even though most people believe that Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year, that is actually not true. According to “35 Interesting Christmas Facts for a Fun Holiday Trivia Night”, “The most hectic days of the year are actually the Friday and Saturday before the conclusion.”
In conclusion, Christmas is a time of year for celebrating with family and friends and spreading the Christmas spirit.
Anyone who has survived finals week can tell you that it is an experience like no other. People you haven’t seen all semester except in the dining hall suddenly start popping up in the library and even make it to class, everyone is carrying around a cup of coffee while looking permanently exhausted, and office hours suddenly become a busy time for professors. It’s truly magical what can happen when one assignment is worth a third of your grade. So, let’s talk strategy. You can’t make it through finals without some sort of plan, so how are you going to manage your time because all-nighters and seven shots of expresso per hour aren’t going to cut it? In fact, research has shown that it is better to go to sleep and take an exam on a well-rested brain than to stay up all night to study. One of the worst things you can do is not get enough sleep. The first step to being successful during exam week is to check your exam schedule. If you’re not sure, here is a link to a PDF with all the dates and times: Microsoft Word – Final Exam Schedule Fall 2022 (defiance.edu). Put it on your calendar.
The next thing you need to do is prioritize studying for the earlier exams and schedule time to study for later exams later in the week. In a perfect world, you would have already studied and be relatively prepared for the exam because you took notes and went to class throughout the semester, so you shouldn’t have to cram too much. If not, make sure to pace yourself and take breaks. Giving your brain a chance to absorb the information you are reading will help you retain that information for the exam.
You can also choose to study with other people. Now, if you’re like me, you can’t study with other people because you won’t get anything done, but it can be useful if you want to test your knowledge or to see if you understand a concept. You can also keep each other on track and help each other focus.
Utilizing the quiet rooms in the library or finding a quiet place around campus to study is also a good way to get work done. In the end, just study whatever way you are most productive and stick to a schedule.
Finally, talk with your professors. Try and find out everything you can about the exam and prepare for it that way. When is your exam going to be taken? How long will you have to take it? Is the exam taken in class, or is it a take-home? Is it a written exam or multiple choice? Is there even going to be an exam? Some professors choose not to do an exam and instead assign a final paper that is due during finals week.
The bottom line is to make sure you know exactly what the exam is going to be so you can prepare yourself for it and budget your time. Exam week is stressful for everyone on campus, so make sure you are ready to meet the challenge with every advantage possible. Good luck!
Where the Crawdads Sing, by Best Selling author Delia Owens, leads readers through Kya Clark’s story of life, love, and coming of age. The story covers the years 1952 to 1970 in Barkley Cove, a quiet fishing village. The book’s continuation of life-changing events keeps readers turning the pages of this book.
“Marsh Girl,” or Kya Clark, spends her time in the Marshes of Barkley Cove, ruling the wild and her family’s rundown, abandoned shack. Living in the marsh, she has avoided going to school and interacting with others. However, she captures the attention of two young men from town with her wild beauty. When a popular town figure ends up dead in the marsh, she is the town’s first suspect. Kya is not what the town thinks she is, though. She learned how to read and write with help from Tate, an older family member’s friend. She paints and collects feathers, shells, and other wares. She keeps detailed records of the birds, shells, mushrooms, and other wildlife that can be found in the marsh.
I could not put this book down; I continued to want to know what was going to happen next. There were so many different things that were thrown the reader’s way, from family drama to failed relationships. I was continuously amazed at the descriptions of the marsh and the beautiful poetry that was found between the pages of this book. There was enough kindness that was shown between some of the characters to open your eyes to what the world could hold if we were all just a little nicer to one another.
Overall, I give this book a 5/5. This book was heartbreaking in a few ways, but it truly kept me engaged and gave me a new outlook on life.
