Outside shooting by Rose-Hulman sinks Yellow Jackets on Saturday

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Defiance Yellow Jackets suffered their 10th straight defeat, 80-56, on Saturday as the Rose-Hulman Fightin' Engineers hit 12 3-pointers and took care of the basketball at the Karl H. Weaner Center.

The Jackets dropped to 1-11 and 0-6 in the HCAC while the Engineers snapped a six-game slide to climb to 4-9 and earn their second win in the conference.

TURNING POINT

Rose-Hulman closed the first half on a 16-5 run to take a 43-32 lead into the half. Five of the first 11 points came at the free throw line, but a five-point possession just inside the final minute and a half swelled the Engineers' lead to double figures for the first time. Rocco Richie hit an open 3-pointer to go up nine, triggering a technical foul by Defiance head coach Josh Gibson. Richie then converted both free throws for the final points of the half. Four of Defiance's nine first-half turnovers occurred in the last six minutes of the half to held Rose-Hulman to a 14-0 advantage in points off turnovers in the first half.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Yellow Jackets enjoyed their second straight hot start to the game, opening up an 11-4 lead thanks to three of the team's seven first-half 3-pointers. Sherod Brooks hit DC's first shot from outside to claim a 3-2 lead and added two more long-range buckets among Defiance's first 14 points.

Rose-Holman stormed back from the early seven-point deficit with a 10-0 run to take the lead back, but that roll was broken up by Brooks' third trey of the half as the game sat tied 14-14 with 14:27 left in the first.

The lead changed hands six times during the first half until Rocco Richie caned one of his six 3-pointers with 8:25 before the half, the last exchange of the contest. DC's Jeffrey Smith hit a game-tying trey from the left corner with 6:09 remaining but was quickly answered on a score in front of the bucket by Miles McGowen.

The second half endured a scoreless start over the first 2:43 before Evan Park sank a straightaway 3-pointer. However, the Engineers responded with a trey of their own from Kobe Stoudemire to bump the lead back into double figures. That was the theme over a two-minute stretch in which Defiance cut the lead to single digits three times which Rose-Hulman responded with a 3-pointer on the other end.

The Yellow Jackets tapered off offensively, going nearly five minutes between field goals while shooting 0-for-3 with five turnovers during that stretch. Meanwhile, Rose-Hulman's lead jumped to 20 points near the halfway mark of the second half. 

Rose-Hulman scored more than 70 points for the third game this season and committed their fewest turnovers of the season with five. The Engineers also made 12 treys and shot better than 40 percent for the first time in four games. The Yellow Jackets won the rebounding battle 42-38, the team's best rebounding game of the season. Despite getting outscored 21-4 off turnovers, the Jackets scrapped for second-chance points and earned 14 thanks to 13 offensive boards.

BRINGING THE STING

• Sherod Brooks led Defiance with 14 points, 12 of which he scored in the first half, to set a new career high. The Bowsher grad also tied a career-best with a trio of first-half 3-pointers. Brooks was DC's only player in double figures.
• Jordyn Jury grabbed six rebounds to lead the team for the third straight game. The former Hopewell-Loudon Chieftain also scored four points in the loss.
• Landen Swanner was limited to seven points but dished out five assists to pace all DC players.
• Cam Martin went 4-for-4 at the free throw line, the most makes at the stripe in a game during the sophomore's career.

UP NEXT

Defiance returns to action on Wednesday night for another men's and women's doubleheader against rival Bluffton. The men's tipoff against the Beavers is scheduled for 8 p.m. following the women's game that will begin at 6 p.m.

-JACKETS-