Struggles Continue for Jackets in Loss at Hanover

HANOVER, Ind. – The Defiance College men's basketball team lost for the fourth-straight time on Saturday, dropping an 80-68 contest at Hanover. The loss knocked DC two full games back of a potential bid into the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament with only six games to play.

The Jackets were held below the 70-point barrier for the fourth-straight time, after connecting on only seven of a season-high 26 tries from three-point range for a 26.9-percent clip. Hanover countered by shooting 55.8 percent from the field and connecting on 26 attempts from the free throw line, compared to only nine makes from the Purple and Gold.

The woes extended beyond the disparities in the shooting percentages however, as Defiance finished with only eight assists against 12 turnovers for its fourth-straight game with a negative assist-to-turnover ratio. The eight helpers also extended DC's stretch to five-straight outings without reaching at least 10 assists, after doing so in 10 of its first 14 contests to open the year.

The sluggish offensive production has left the Jackets without a taste of a lead in their last 121 minutes and 19 seconds of game action, a streak that was extended another 40 minutes on Saturday with DC's third-straight outing without holding a lead.

Hanover opened with an 11-3 spurt and used an ensuing 16-4 rally to open up a 28-15 cushion. The double-digit spread would hold throughout much of the remainder of the afternoon, as the Panthers maintained a 36-24 edge at the break.

DC would fight to within nine in the second half, only to see the gap spread to as many as 18 with 8:22 left in the game. The Jackets rallied over the next six minutes to close to within nine once again with 2:13 left in the game but could not get any closer, falling 80-68.

Logan Wolfrum led the scoring for Defiance with 20, while Leroy Lewis added 13 points and tied Kyle Tietje for the team-lead with five rebounds. Anthony Brown chipped in 12 points and Ryan Hicks added six.

Defiance (10-9, 5-7 HCAC) will return to its home planks and look to right the ship when it hosts Manchester (13-6, 9-3 HCAC) on Wednesday night at 7:30 pm.