Yellow Jackets Fall Short at Manchester

NORTH MANCHESTER, IND. - The Defiance College men's basketball team made the short trip to Manchester University on Wednesday afternoon for a battle with the Spartans. The Yellow Jackets, looking for revenge after a narrow defeat in the first meeting of the season, fell to the hosts 90-67. 

Manchester, coming off a huge win against Bluffton, looked to continue their momentum early in the contest by grabbing the first points of the game. Coach Scott Cutter's side quickly retaliated, scoring the next seven points. The Yellow Jackets continued to lead for much of the first half, with the Spartans regaining control 14-12 with 11 and a half minutes to play in the first. Heading into halftime, MU held a 40-27 advantage. 

The second half saw Defiance slowly start cutting away at the Spartan lead. Down 55-39, a Sean Tyson (Columbus / Centennial) layup kick started a 13-point run for the Purple and Gold, reducing the Spartan lead to just five. 

Manchester quickly shot back with a handful of runs of their own, ultimately finishing off the contest with the 23 point lead. 

Leading the Yellow Jackets offensively was Marell Jordan (Lafayette, Ind. / Lafayette Jefferson) with 23 points, just seven points shy of his career-high mark. Also breaking into double-digits for DC were Tyler Andrew (Indianapolis, Ind. / Lawrence Central) with 13, Sean Tyson with 12, and Devin Goodwyn (Detroit, Mich. / Chippewa Valley) with 10. 

The defeat drops the Yellow Jacket record to 2-16 on the season, with an 0-11 mark in HCAC play. DC will kick off a three game home stand on Saturday, Jan. 26 as they welcome in Franklin College for a 4:00 pm tip-off.