Yellow Jackets Fall to the Quakers

RICHMOND, IND. – The Defiance College women's basketball team traveled to Richmond, Ind. to face Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference opponent Earlham (Ind.) College and fell to the Quakers, 69-56.

Junior Kelsey Tietje (Deshler/Patrick Henry) led the Yellow Jackets with a game-high 16 points (five-of-11 shooting) and grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds to record her seventh double-double of the season. Junior Erica Smay (Defiance/Tinora) had 13 points (four-of-13 shooting), while junior Ashley Williams recorded 12 points (four-of-11 shoooting).

The Quakers (3-11, 1-6 HCAC) began the game with a 4-0 run, when Tietje put the Yellow Jackets (3-11, 2-5 HCAC) on the board with a layup at the 6:49 minute mark, 4-2. The slow start for Defiance continued throughout the quarter, but the Yellow Jackets came within four points at the 1:13 minute mark when junior Keri Conine (Ottawa/Pandora-Gilboa) scored off of an assist from Williams to bring the score to 18-14 after one quarter of play.

Smay made the first points of the second with a triple at the 9:06 minute mark to bring the Yellow Jackets to within one point, 18-17. One point would be as close as the Yellow Jackets would get, as the only other points scored for Defiance was another three from Smay with 2:36 to go to make the score 26-20. The Quakers scored once more to increase the score to 28-20 going into halftime.

Defiance began the third with a mini 5-0 run that included a three from Williams and a jumper from Tietje to cut the deficit to three points, 28-25. Back-and-forth possessions ran the clock down, and with 21 seconds left in the quarter, freshman Sam Ervin (Bloomdale/Elmwood) scored a layup to bring the Yellow Jackets within six points, 41-35. A layup at the buzzer from the Quakers extended their lead 43-35 at the end of the quarter.

The Quakers took control of the fourth quarter and kept a double-digit lead the entire time. Despite efforts from the Yellow Jackets, the lead remained in favor of the Quakers when the final buzzer sounded, 69-56.

Defiance will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 16 when they host Rose-Hulman (Ind.) Institute of Technology in HCAC play. The game will be a part of a basketball doubleheader with the Yellow Jacket men's team. The women's game will begin at 1 p.m., followed by the men at 3 p.m.