Late Rally Falls Short for Jackets in Loss to Northwestern Ohio

LIMA, Ohio – Defiance's 36-17 run midway through the second half was not enough to erase a large deficit, as the Jackets fell 81-72 to the University of Northwestern Ohio on Wednesday, February 4. The loss drops DC's road record to 7-6.

The Racers scored the first nine points of the game, before a traditional three-point play by Mandie White stopped the bleeding for DC. Abbie Clifton would go on to score ten of her game-leading 26 points in a four-minute span to help Northwestern Ohio open up an 11-point advantage.

Amber Bailey would take over for the Defiance, keying a DC comeback with 10 straight points that pulled the Jackets within three, 28-25, with 4:29 left in the half. However, the Racers would close the period with a 7-2 run to take a 35-27 advantage into the break.

Northwestern Ohio went on a 23-7 run to start the second half, grabbing a 24-point lead, 58-34, with just over 14 minutes remaining in the contest. DC worked its way back into the game over the next ten minutes, as Jenna Deskins' three-pointer capped off a 27-12 spread that cut the Racer's lead to single-digits, 70-61.

Defiance would score nine points in a one-minute span to draw within five, 75-70, as Shavonda Price's three-point play closed out DC's scoring burst. The Racers were perfect from the line in the final minute to pull out victory.

The Jackets, ranked 13th in the nation with 7.2 three-pointers per game, were not able to get anything going from beyond the arc, knocking down just three trifectas on 18.8 percent shooting from downtown. DC shot a whopping 92 percent from the charity stripe, led by Holly Stein's 10-of-10 shooting from the line.

Defiance claimed a 46-37 advantage on the boards, cleaning up the offensive glass with 18 rebounds. Mandie White led all players with 11 caroms, while also scoring 10 points to record the 12th double-double of her career.

Defiance's bench scored a season-high 42 points, led by Bailey, who had a team-high 15 points to go along with her six boards and two blocks. Stein finished with 14 points and five rebounds, while Price added 13 points and three blocks.

Defiance (7-13) will be back in action on Saturday, February 7, when it hosts HCAC foe Anderson University. The women open up the conference doubleheader at 1:00 p.m. with the men's game to start immediately following its conclusion.