Lady Jackets Claim Third-Straight Conference Victory

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Lady Jackets won their third straight conference game on Wednesday night, defeating Bluffton University, 83-71, to improve to 5-3 in HCAC competition. Defiance claims the second best conference record with the victory and has now won 10 of 11 home games this season.

Mandie White's jumper 24 seconds into the first half gave the Jackets the early lead and set to the tone for the remainder of the game.  The Beavers had no answer for the senior center, who led all scorers with 30 points on 10-of-12 shooting, and is now just 15 points shy of DC's prestigious 1,000 point club. White also contributed six rebounds, three steals and three blocks in the contest.

The Lady Jackets shot 47 percent from the field in the first half, hitting five of their 11 three-point attempts, to open up a 12 point lead at the break. It was DC's bench that made the early difference as they combined to shoot 78 percent and record 20 of the Jackets' 42 first-half points.

The Beavers found their offensive rhythm in the second half, hitting 50 percent of their shots to cut the lead to single digits with 2:20 left in the game, but the Jackets continued to make clutch free-throws in the waning minutes to ice the victory. The Jackets have now scored over 80 points in three consecutive games, and are averaging 85.7 points over that span.

Shavonda Price had a tough shooting night, but made up for her offensive struggles by pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds. Tasha Stucke continued to run the offense with flawless efficiency, dishing out a game-high five assists while recording zero turnovers for the second consecutive game. Freshman guard Jacquelyn Litle matched Stucke's five assists while posting 10 points and two steals.

The Jackets begin a two-game road swing with a matchup agianst the Fightin' Engineers of Rose-Hulman (2-14, 2-6 HCAC) on Saturday, January 23. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m.