Hot start and halftime lead not enough to finish off UM-Dearborn on Wednesday

DEFIANCE, Ohio - The Defiance Yellow Jackets posted their finest first half of the season and owned a halftime lead, but that success did not translate into the second half as the UM-Dearborn Wolverines rallied to a 93-79 victory in WHAC play at the Karl H. Weaner Center on Wednesday.

The Yellow Jackets (3-9, 1-6) have now lost five in a row with the 14-point deficit being the narrowest over the current skid. The Wolverines (4-10, 3-4) pulled out their third conference win with a season-high 93 points and improved to 3-1 when allowing less than 80 points.

Defiance's shooting started red-hot with buckets on their first three possessions and jumped out to a 12-7 lead, which forced a UM-Dearborn timeout just three minutes into the game. Over that stretch, Defiance started 6-for-7 from the floor and went on to their highest-scoring (45 points) and best-shooting first half of the season (45.9 percent). 

The Wolverines' timeout was well-timed and held DC to 0-for-5 shooting and eventually a 16-6 run to gain a 23-18 lead. Devonte Curry helped turn the tied for Defiance near the halfway mark of the half with a 3-pointer and a blocked a shot that created his own fast-break layup to erase the five-point deficit. Defiance used a 12-3 run for to build their largest lead of the half, which was 38-30 at the 5:54 mark of the half and carried a six-point lead into the half.

The start of the second half is where things started to deteriorate for the Yellow Jackets. Defiance opened the second half with turnovers on five straight possessions while UM-Dearborn regained the lead on a 10-2 run. Evan Angstmann provided a much-needed 3-pointer for the Jackets to stabilize things. After falling behind 60-53, Defiance stormed back on a 9-2 burst of their own to even the score a 62-62 at the 9:32 media break.

THE TURNING POINT
UM-Dearborn was dialed in from outside the arc down the stretch. Jackson Reynolds started the scoring after the under-10 media timeout with a go-ahead triple for the Wolverines. Following an Angtmann bucket on the other end, UM-Dearborn worked a layup inside, scooped up a rebound after DC went one-and-done, and rallied to a second-chance layup to lead by five when the Jackets used a timeout. After the stoppage, Defiance missed a quick triple try and Reynolds responded with a trey of his own on the other end to swell the lead to 72-64. The Wolverines eventually worked a 19-5 run to take an 80-67 lead in under five minutes of work heading into the final media timeout. UM-Dearborn outscored the Yellow Jackets 54-34 in the second half and hit 63 percent of their shots with five 3-pointers sprinkled in.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Defiance's halftime lead was the first in conference play this season and was the second total this year. The six-point advantage at the break was also the largest of the season so far compared to a 30-27 halftime lead against Penn State-Shenango on Nov. 5. 
• Connor Bush led the Yellow Jackets with 19 points, his team-high 10th game in double figures. He posted 12 points in the first half and his second half action was highlighted by a put-back dunk with 11:34 left in the game.
• Defensively, the Yellow Jackets tied a season-high with nine blocked shots. Bush led the team with three while Zahyem Bradwell and Evan Angstmann swatted two shots each.
• Evan Angstmann continues to give the Yellow Jackets a reliable 3-point option. He hit three 3s and went 7-for-14 from the floor on the night for 17 points, a new season-high for the freshman. 
• Christian Burton shined on both ends of the floor and played 21 minutes off the bench. He scored 12 points, the first dozen of his college career. He also dished out a team-high three assists. 
• Zahyem Bradwell led the Jackets on the boards with nine rebounds and also chipped in a season-best seven points.
• Devonte Curry provided a spark in the first half with a flurry of seven points off the bench. He also secured five rebounds in the contest.
• Defiance's 27 points off the bench was the second-best total this season (34 vs. Miami-Middletown)
• UM-Dearborn was led by Jackson Reynolds with 31 points. Thomas Dillard also recorded a double-double with 15 points and 12 boards.

UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets do not play a regular-season game until Jan. 4 at Concordia. Their next action will be an exhibition game at Purdue Fort Wayne on Friday. Tipoff against the Mastadons is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Gates Sports Center in Fort Wayne.

-JACKETS-