Pettaway Joins 1,300-Point Club in Win at Manchester

N. MANCHESTER, Ind. – Anthony Pettaway poured in 15 points to help fuel Defiance's 82-69 win over Manchester on Saturday and became the 19th player in DC history to eclipse the 1,300-point plateau for a career.

The 13-point win was the fifth-straight victory for the Yellow Jackets, who have won 12 of their last 15 contests to climb towards the top of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference standings.

Pettaway's continued dominance over MC in the paint helped the Jackets stay in control throughout the majority of the game, as the senior center's 15-point, 16-rebound effort marked his third-straight double-double output against the Spartans.

The reigning HCAC and Midwest District Player of the Year had plenty of help however, as fellow post player, Nick Sales, turned in 21 points and Heath Armstrong lit it up from the perimeter for a game-high 22 tallies.

Defiance controlled the glass by a 40-29 clip and used a 24-8 edge in second-chance points to buoy its lead throughout the afternoon.

That lead stayed comfortably in DC's favor, as the Jackets never trailed during the 40 minutes of action. Defiance held the outright lead for the game's final 36:50, after a Pettaway bucket broke a 6-6 tie and put DC in front to stay.

The Jackets took a 40-34 lead to the half and maintained that spread through the opening minutes of the second period, before distancing themselves from the host MC squad with an 8-1 rally. The spurt, which was capped by two-straight hoops from Sales, widened the gap to 52-39 with 13:16 left in the game.

Defiance would never see its lead dip below eight points from then on, as it eventually climbed to a game-high 16-point cushion with 2:49 showing on the clock.

The Spartans then began sending DC to the free-throw line in an attempt to claw back into the action but the Jackets were up for the challenge. Defiance sank 16-of-19 attempts from the free throw line in the road victory.

The win matches DC's longest win streak of the year at five games and lifts the Yellow Jackets to 13-6 overall and 8-2 in the HCAC.

A spot atop the league standings will be on the line the next time Defiance hits the planks, as the Jackets are set to head to Lexington, Ky. for a tangle with Transylvania (14-4, 8-2 HCAC) on Wednesday at 7:30 pm.