Men’s basketball defeated by Bluffton on road

BLUFFTON, Ohio – On the road in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play, the Defiance College men's basketball squad was defeated, 68-52, by the Bluffton University Beavers at the Sommer Center on Wednesday night.

The loss to its rival puts Defiance at 11-13 overall, including 6-11 in the HCAC (tied for seventh place) while Bluffton is 15-9 and 11-6 (third), respectively, after winning its seventh straight game.

Early in the contest, DC led by five points on three occasions but the Beavers established a 24-22 advantage with 5:18 left in the opening half and never trailed again. BU had a 37-27 lead at the intermission and stretched it to 18 points twice in the second half, the last time at 62-44 with 6:14 remaining. In the final 20 minutes, Defiance never got within its 10-point halftime deficit.

The Yellow Jackets scored a season-low 52 points, shooting 19 of 49 (38.8 percent) from the field, including 5 of 20 (25.0) from three-point range and 9 of 17 (52.9) at the free throw line. By comparison, Bluffton hit 26 of 52 (50.0 percent) from the floor and 14 of 19 (73.7) at the foul line. DC ended with a 30-28 edge in rebounds but was guilty of 15 turnovers to the hosts' 10.

For Defiance, Sean Tyson (Columbus, Ohio/Centennial) tossed in 12 points while Marell Jordan (Lafayette, Ind./Jefferson) had 10. Freshman Owen Hiegel (Ottawa, Ohio/Ottawa-Glandorf) chipped in with eight points and grabbed five rebounds, matching his career high.

This Saturday, the Yellow Jackets conclude their 2019-20 season with an HCAC road game against Franklin College at 4 p.m. in Franklin, Indiana. The contest follows the DC-Franklin women's game that begins at 2 p.m.