Lady Jackets Claim Road Win at Mount St. Joseph

CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Lady Jackets got a big win on Saturday, knocking off Mount St. Joseph, 81-68, while taking the first of three-straight road games to close out the regular season. Defiance improves to 16-7 with the win, and 10-4 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.

After a 2-2 tie less than a minute into the first period, the Jackets took the lead and never looked back, jumping out to huge lead (17 points) at the break by draining seven three-pointers in the first half. Defiance was able to grab a 13-2 advantage in points off turnovers in the period, forcing the Lions into 11 turnovers while committing only four. Courtney Schmersal was the star in the first half, recording 11 points in 11 minutes, on four-of-seven shooting, including three-of-six from long range.

Mount St. Joseph was able to outscore the Lady Jackets, 43-39, in the second half, but could not make up for their huge halftime deficit. The Lions would cut the lead to 10 points with 6:45 left on the clock, but that was as close as they would come as DC coasted to a 13-point victory. Outstanding free-throw shooting by the Lady Jackets prevented MSJ from getting back in the game, as they hit 16-of-17 from the charity stripe in the period, and finished the game with a season-high 86.4 free-throw percentage.

The Lady Jackets tallied 13 steals in the game, and improved their record to 11-0 on the season when recording at least 12 takeaways. The game also marks the fourth time this season that the Jackets have recorded double-digit three-pointers, and improves their record to 4-0 in those games.

Shavonda Price stuffed the stat sheet, posting 15 points, six rebounds and five steals. Tasha Stucke had a typically productive game, recording 10 points, five assists and five steals. Courtney Schmersal led all scorers with 16 points, on six-of-11 shooting, including four-of-eight from down town.

The Lady Jackets will return to action on Wednesday, February 17, when they play at HCAC rival Bluffton University (7-16, 4-11 HCAC). Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.