Defiance Posts Convincing Win Against Illinois Tech

DEFIANCE, OHIO  --  Following a 13-day layoff, the Defiance College men's basketball team got back to its winning ways with a 68-40 defeat of Illinois Institute of Technology to advance to the championship game of the Purple and Gold Financial Basketball Tournament at the Karl H. Weaner Center.

Defiance improves to 6-3 overall with the win and have won four of its last five games, while Illinois Tech falls to 0-10 overall.

Sophomore guard Devin Mangas (Leipsic) led the Yellow Jackets in scoring with 11 points on four-of-eight shooting (50.0 percent), including three-of-six (50.0 percent) from three-point range.  Senior guard Travis Shoemaker (Ottawa/Ottawa-Glandorf) was the only other Defiance player in double figures with 10 points to go along with a team-high seven rebounds and a game-tying high four assists.  As a team, the Jackets shot 39.1 percent (25-of-64) from the field which included 41 three-point attempts.  DC converted on 13 of its 41 shots from long range to shoot 31.7 percent (13-of-41) overall.

DC fell behind early as ITT scored the game's first six points.  A pair of free-throws by senior forward Kent Tietje (Hamler/Patrick Henry) sparked a 14-4 scoring run that put the Jackets on top by four points, 14-10 at the 12:06 minute mark.  Defiance maintianed the lead the rest of the way, but the Scarlet Hawks stayed within striking distance until the 4:22 mark of the first half when the Jackets ended the period with a 9-0 run to grab a 12-point advantage, 38-26, at the break.

In the second half, the Yellow Jackets began to take charge of the game with a series of runs.  DC opened the period with a 9-3 run that ended in a jumper by freshman forward Michael Kaminski (Medina) to extend the margin to 18 points, 47-29, with 10:56 left in the game.  Defiance reached the 20-point lead plateau with just over six minutes to go following a triple by Schomaeker, making the score 52-32.  Illinois Tech never threatened the remainder of the game as DC recorded its largest lead with the final score of 68-40.

The Hawks had one player score in double figures in Samuel Rarick with game-highs of 28 points and 10 rebounds.

Defiance will take on Heidelberg University in the championship game of the Purple and Gold Financial Basketball Tournament tomorrow (Tuesday, Dec. 30) at the Weaner Center.  The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.