Andrew’s 37 not enough as men’s basketball loses on road

CINCINNATI – Despite a career-high 37-point explosion from Tyler Andrew (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence Central), the Defiance College men's basketball team lost to the host Mount St. Joseph University Lions, 84-78, in a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference contest inside the Harrington Center on Saturday afternoon.

With the defeat, Defiance falls to 10-11 overall, including 5-9 in the HCAC. Mount St. Joseph moves to 5-16 overall and 3-11 in conference games.

After five early lead changes, the Yellow Jackets went on top, 32-25, but the Lions regained the advantage with 1:06 left and led, 40-38, at halftime. DC trailed the entire second half with the hosts building its largest lead, 65-51, with nine minutes to go. Defiance pulled to within five points, 83-78, with 13.8 seconds remaining, but MSJU held on for the win.

The Yellow Jackets shot an exceptional 56.9 percent (29 of 51) from the floor while Mount St. Joseph made half of its 56 field goal attempts. DC finished with a 27-25 edge in rebounds but was outscored 27-9 from behind the three-point arc and 48-34 in the paint. The Lions also got 45 points off their bench, compared to 13 for the guests.

Defiance's Andrew easily led all scorers by connecting on 15 of 22 from the field, 2 of 2 from three-point range and 5-of-6 free throws in 32 minutes. He also had game highs of seven rebounds and two blocked shots, along with three assists while Sean Tyson (Columbus, Ohio/Centennial) produced 18 points, a game-best four assists and four boards. Freshman David Perkins (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) chipped in with 12 points, hitting 5-of-6 field goals and 2-of-2 foul shots, and four rebounds as a reserve.

On Wednesday, the Jackets return to action when hosting an HCAC contest with Earlham College. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Karl H. Weaner Community Center.