DC Drops Shootout to Franklin, 83-80

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance fell to Franklin College, 83-80, on Saturday, January 17, in a game that saw the lead change hands seven times. The Jackets drop to 6-10 overall and 2-6 in the HCAC, despite scoring 29 points off turnovers in the contest.

DC scored the first 14 points of the game, as Shavonda Price and Tasha Stucke combined for 11 points in that span to help Defiance take a commanding lead. The Jackets forced Franklin to turn the ball over on their first seven possessions, holding the Grizzlies without a shot attempt for four minutes.

Franklin found their rhythm over the next six minutes, using a 19-5 spurt to tie the game, 19-19, on a layup by Jessica Schwartz. DC answered on its next possession, as Courtney Schmersal drilled a trey from the top of the key to put Defiance back in front, 22-19.

Traci Lippold took over for the Grizzlies, scoring seven of the team's nine points in a three-minute stretch to help Franklin grab a four-point advantage, 28-24. The Jackets once again responded, closing out the half with a 16-10 run to head into the break with a 40-38 lead. Defiance forced 17 turnovers in the period, converting those mishaps into 19 points.

The Grizzlies tied the game just a minute into the second half on a jumper by Lippold, before grabbing their largest lead of the contest, 55-48, on Brittney Wilson's three-pointer at the 14:07 mark. Less than two minutes later, Price followed a bucket by Stucke with five consecutive points to help DC knot the game at 55, devastating the Franklin defense with an array of offensive moves. Defiance used that momentum to keep on rolling, as two free throws by Mandie White gave the Jackets their largest lead of the second half, 66-60.

The rest of the game belonged to Heather Harper, as the Franklin center scored 13 of her game-high 30 points in the final nine minutes of play. The Grizzlies, behind Harper, outscored DC 20-7 over the next seven minutes to take an 80-73 lead with 2:07 left in the contest.

Makayla Graves pulled Defiance within two, 80-78, hitting a trifecta from the corner, before scoring on a  fastbreak layup with 45 ticks left on the clock. However, Franklin would go on to knock down three of its four free throw attempts in the closing seconds to pull out the victory.

Defiance shot a respectable 39.4 percent from the field, but was unable to keep the Grizzlies from dominating the blocks in the final stanza as the Franklin outscored DC 28-12 in the paint. The Jackets forced 28 turnovers in the contest, the tenth time this season their opponents have gone over the 20-turnover mark. Defiance was outrebounded by 17, as Franklin recorded a commanding 50-33 advantage on the boards.

DC put four players in double-figures, as the team reached the 80-point plateau for the fourth time this season. Price led the Jackets with a career-high 16 points, while posting another well-rounded performance with four caroms, four steals, two assists and a block. Graves dropped in 14 points off the bench, while Stucke and Holly Stein had 11 and 10 points respectively. White had a team-high 10 rebounds to go along with her seven points.

Defiance returns to action on Wednesday, January 21, when it hosts rival Bluffton University in the 70th meeting between the two schools. The game is slated to begin at 7:30 p.m.