DC Falls to Transy Despite Alexander's Double-Double

LEXINGTON, KY.  --  Despite trailing by 14 points in the second half, the Defiance College men's basketball team battled back to within five points that included a double-double effort by junior Tyler Alexander (Indianapolis, Ind./Northwest), but the Yellow Jackets came up short, 80-71, in a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference game against Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky.

Alexander recorded his third double-double of the season with a game-high 25 points on 73.3 percent shooting (11-of-15) and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.  Junior Devin Mangas (Leipsic) was second wtih 20 points and junior Chris Holmes (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) rounded out the high scorers with 13 points.

Transylvania (4-9, 3-3 HCAC) never trailed in the game and took control right from the start with a game-opening 12-2 scoring run.  Holmes then connected on a jumper that sparked a 7-0 run for Defiance (6-7, 4-2 HCAC) to get the Jackets back to within three points, 12-9, with 13:29 left in the first half.  

The scoring runs continued to alternate between the two teams as an ensuing 11-3 Pioneer run extended the deficit back to double figures with Transy leading, 23-12, at the 10:39 mark.  DC made another run that ended in a jumper by junior Michael Parker (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) which narrowed the gap back to three points, 26-23, with 5:39 to go.  

Following a three-pointer by freshman Nick Mesnard (Petoskey, Mich./Petoskey) late in the half that made it a four-point contest, 31-27, Transy ended the half outscoring DC, 6-2, to boast an eight-point advantage at the intermission with a score of 37-29.

The second half began with a bucket by Alexander to make the score, 37-31, but the Pioneers quickly extended their lead back to double digits en route to leading by a game-high 14 points, 49-35, with just over 15 minutes to go in the game.  Transy equaled its game-high lead on numerous occasions, but the Jackets would narrow the gap back to single figures, 57-49, at the 10-minute mark following a three-point play by Alexander.

The margin remained near the double-figure mark for the Pioneers for the majority of the remainder of the game, but DC rallied to within five points several times down the stretch, including a 74-69 margin with just under a minute to go after another jumper by Alexander.  

The Pioneers would seal the game at the free-throw line as the Jackets could not convert on its next two possessions allowing Transy to take an 11-point lead, 80-69, with 21 seconds left.  DC tallied the final points of the game on an Alexander layup, but it came a little too late as Transy went on to post the 80-71 victory.

The Pioneers had four players score in double figures led by Parker Stansberry with a team-high 21 points.  Alex Jones recorded a double-double with 20 points and 12 assists.  Cooper Theobald was third with 15 points and Lowell Gordon added 12 points.

Defiance returns home to begin a three-game home stand beginning with a HCAC matchup against Earlham (Ind.) College on Wednesday, Jan. 13 at the Karl H. Weaner Center.  The game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.