Jackets Drop Home Opener to No. 4 Hope

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance could not keep pace with No. 4 Hope, falling 76-59 in its home opener on Tuesday, November 25. The Jackets fall to 2-3 on the season with all three losses coming against undefeated opponents.

DC jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first minute of the game on Holly Stein's trifecta, but would never lead again as the Flying Dutch used a 14-0 run to pull away midway through the opening period. Defiance kept the game close for the remainder of the first half, as Courtney Schmersal's baseline jumper capped an 11-4 spurt that pulled the Jackets within seven, 27-20. Hope pushed its lead back to double digits, but another Schmersal bucket and Mandie White's buzzer beater sent DC into locker room trailing by only seven, 37-30.

The Flying Dutch scored the first four points of the final stanza to grab an 11-point lead with 18 minutes remaining, but Brooke Zachrich's trifecta would finish off Defiance's 11-5 jog that cut the lead to five, 46-41.

The Jackets would not get any closer, as Hope used a 14-2 run over the next seven minutes to take a commanding 60-43 lead.  Katie McNamara capped off a 7-0 run with five points in a 12-second span to draw DC within ten, 60-50, but the Flying Dutch killed any aspirations for a comeback with six straight points to put the game away.

Defiance struggled from the field for the second consecutive game, shooting just 22.6 percent for the game. The Jackets kept the contest close at the charity stripe, shooting a blistering 25-for-30 from the line. DC's defense held Hope to its lowest shooting percentage of the season (40 percent), but was o unable to control the paint where it was outscored 38-6. Defiance forced at least 20 turnovers for the fourth time in five games, while reaching double digits in steals with ten.

Stein led the Jackets with a game-high 19 points, connecting on all eight of her free throw attempts. Schmersal finished with nine points, while McNamara added eight points and four steals for DC. Tasha Stucke recorded a game-high four assists and Amber Bailey tallied eight rebounds and four blocks.

Defiance returns to action on Dec. 2, when it travels to Adrian, Mich. to face NAIA opponent Siena Heights. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.