Yellow Jackets Drop Close Game Against Pioneers

LEXINGTON, KY.  --  In a game that featured 14 ties and 13 lead changes, the Defiance College men's basketball team fell short of Transylvania (Ky.) University, 74-68, in a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference matchup in Lexington, Ky.

The Yellow Jackets had two players score in double figures led by senior forward Bernard Edwards' (Detroit, Mich./Warren Cousino) game-high 26 points on seven-of-16 shooting (43.8 percent).  He also shot four-of-seven (57.1 percent) from three-point range and eight-of-10 (80.0 percent) at the free-throw line.  Joining him in double digits was senior guard Travis Schomaeker (Ottawa/Ottawa-Glandorf) who added 16 points and dished out a game-tying high six assists.

The two teams played at a back-and-forth pace throughout the first 20 minutes as the first period alone featured nine ties and six lead changes.  After battling to a 15-15 tie at the 13:07 minute mark, Defiance (4-3, 2-1 HCAC) netted consecutive three-pointers by Edwards and sophomore guard Michael Parker (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) to give the Yellow Jackets their largest lead of the half of six points, 21-15, with 11:51 left before the intermission.  Transylvania (1-5, 1-2 HCAC) battled back to even the score and eventually took the lead, 27-25 with 5:43 left in the period.  Both squads traded leads the rest of the way with DC gaining a slight edge on the scoreboard at halftime with a lead of 38-37.

The seesaw battle continued in the opening minutes of the second half.  Leading by three points, 49-46, at the 13:16 mark, Transylvania looked to take control of the game with an 8-0 scoring run that put the Pioneers out in front by 11 points, 57-46, with 11:22 left to go.  This time, the Yellow Jackets looked to rally as a triple by Parker sparked a 13-2 run which led to a 59-59 tie with 6:45 remaining.  Neither team led by more than three points over the course of the next few minutes and Transylvania finally put the game away thanks to a three-point play and a series of free-throws down the stretch as DC did not record a point in the final 1:22.  The scoring drought would allow the Pioneers to claim the 74-68 victory.

Transylvania shot an impressive 54.7 percent from the field (29-of-53), including 42.9 percent (six-of-14) from three-point range and 71.4 percent (10-of-14) at the free-throw line.  The Pioneers had five players score in double figures led by Robert Dence with 19 points.  Sam Sergeant was second with 15 points, followed by the duo of Parker Stansberry and Jake Williams with 11 points each and Alex Jones rounded out the high scorers with 10 points.

Defiance will remain on the road and will travel to Kalamazoo, Mich. for a non-conference game against Kalamazoo College on Tuesday, Dec. 16.  The game is slated to start at 7 p.m.