Competitive game tilts against Yellow Jackets down the stretch

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Defiance Yellow Jackets matched a season-high 13 3-pointers but were toppled by the Mount St. Joseph Lions' clutch shooting in the closing minutes of a 77-68 loss at the Weaner Center on Wednesday.

The Yellow Jackets (1-20) fall to 0-15 in the HCAC and unceremoniously secured the program's third-ever 20-loss season, which was also the team's 19th in a row. The Lions (6-16) picked up just their second win in the last nine games to improve to 6-9 in the conference.

TURNING POINT

MSJ's sophomore post Luke Collinsworth responded to a pair of Defiance rallies in the second half with big buckets during a 25-point, 10-rebound performance. Following a game-tying trey by freshman guard Heath Kash to cap a 13-4 run by DC, Collinsworth answered with a layup then followed with a triple of his own after DC missed a jumper on the other end. That five-point swing made the score 64-59 with 7:22 left in the game.

Defiance continued to keep things close and pulled within two points on a long 3-pointer by Will Gehlhausen with 5:36 remaining. Collinsworth answered the call following a DC timeout when the HCAC reigning Newcomer of the Year banked in a triple from the right corner after the Lions secured an offensive rebound. After MSJ went ahead 69-64, the Yellow Jackets were not able to trim the lead below four points for the remainder of the contest.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The contest featured nine lead changes and 11 ties, including 10 ties in the first half, while neither side held a lead of more than 10 points. Defiance shot 47 percent compared to 51 percent by the Lions. Defiance also shot a season-high 59 percent from outside the arc to match their December 16 total at Alma with 13 buckets from long range.

The two teams were tied five times prior to the second media timeout at 11:42. Defiance held the upper hand by as many as five points, 26-21 with just more than seven minutes left in the first half. Mount St. Joseph started to grab momentum late in the first half when the Jackets missed four straight shots after a Kash trey with 5:43 left in the first. Evan Park knocked down a triple to tie the game at 32-32 with 3:02 left in the half, but the Lions scored the last four points of the half to take a 36-32 lead into halftime.

Early in the second half, Defiance used three straight 3-pointers to regain a 41-40 lead, which would be the team's last advantage of the game. The Jackets took care of the basketball for the majority of the game, but three of them hurt their cause after the 15:58 media timeout as MSJ started to inch away. The Lions compiled a 12-1 run in just over four minutes to claim the game's only double-digit lead at 52-42.

The Yellow Jackets swarmed back with a strong run of shooting 9-for-12 with four 3-pointers between a Park hook shot at 12:57 through a long Gehlhausen trey with 5:38 left in the game. Over that stretch, the Yellow Jackets committed zero turnovers and compiled a 22-12 run, which included the 13-4 stretch that tied the game at 59-59. However, Gehlhausen's basket was DC's last field goal as the team missed their last four attempts from the floor. MSJ converted 6 of 13 with a trio of 3-pointers starting with Collinsworth's tie-breaking basket at the 5:06 mark.

BRINGING THE STING

• Sherod Brooks led Defiance with 15 points and seven rebounds. The Toledo native hit 3 of 4 3-point attempts. It was the third time in five games that Brooks was DC's top scorer and has led the squad in rebounding a team-best five times.
• Will Gehlhausen also knocked down a trio of 3-pointers during a 13-point performance. For the game, Gehlhausen made 5-of-8 attempts.
• Devin Goodwyn was Defiance's third player in double figures with 10 points and led the squad with six assists off the bench, which set a new career-high for the senior.
• Heath Kash connected on three 3-pointers for nine points to set a new season-best in each category.
• Evan Park was a force inside and out with eight points, including a pair of 3s, and secured six rebounds.
• Landen Swanner chipped in with seven points, all in the first half, and dished out five assists.

UP NEXT

The Yellow Jackets play their final home game of the season on Saturday and will host Senior Day against the Hanover Panthers. Tipoff is set for 12 p.m. and the women's contest will follow the men's game at 2 p.m.

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