Defiance Earns Conference Victory at Anderson

ANDERSON, IND. -- The Defiance College women's basketball team used a 10-point fourth quarter advantage to come out with a 60-53 victory at Anderson (Ind.) University in a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference matchup.

Defiance (6-6, 3-2 HCAC) was led in scoring by senior Kelsey Tietje (Deshler/Patrick Henry), who scored 18 points on eight-of-13 (61.5 percent) from the floor to go along with nine boards. Senior guard Ashley Williams (Leipsic/Pandora-Gilboa) added 17 points, including four-of-five (80 percent) shooting from beyond the arc. Williams dished out five assists and grabbed three rebounds on the evening, as well.

Defiance finished the contest shooting 39.7 percent (23-of-58) from the floor as a team, as well as six-of-21 (28.6 percent) from three-point range, while the Ravens (5-7, 2-3 HCAC) shot 21-of-54 (38.9 percent) overall and three-of-13 (23.1 percent) from deep. The Yellow Jackets finished with a slight 38-34 edge on the glass, while the Ravens also turned the ball over two more times than DC (14-12). 

The opening quarter was all Ravens, as they jumped out to an early 9-1 lead in the game's opening three-and-a-half minutes. Tietje connected on consecutive field goals to knock the AU lead to four points, but Anderson's Audrey May hit a triple to make it a 12-5 game. DC ended the quarter with a jumper from sophomore Sam Ervin (Bloomdale/Elmwood) to cut the Anderson lead to 12-7 after one quarter of play.

A fastbreak layup from junior Mekai White (Cincinnati/Winton Woods) and a triple from Williams tied the contest at 12-12 early in the second stanza. After five straight Raven points, a three-ball from junior Whitney Schalk (Bellevue) and a deuce from Ervin, tied the game at 17-17 with 3:20 remaining in the half. DC took their first lead on a layup by Ervin at the 1:07 mark, but AU would tie it at 21-21 at the break.

To begin the third period, Defiance outscored the Ravens 10-4, with nine of those 10 markers coming from Tietje, as DC led, 31-25. The Ravens went on to score six in a row to even the score at 31-31 midway through the quarter. A three-pointer from Williams and a bucket from Ervin, jumped the lead back to five points, 36-31, in favor of Defiance, but an "and-one" from Anderson cut it back to 36-34. AU ended the quarter on a 9-4 spurt to go ahead, 43-40, after three frames.

The Ravens opened the fourth quarter with another triple to go up, 46-40. Williams then got it back to 46-43 for DC with a three of her own, and White and Keri Conine (Ottawa/Pandora-Gilboa) capped a 7-1 spurt with back-to-back buckets to tie the game at 47-47. The Ravens would get the lead back at 51-50 before Tietje and White scored to give DC a 54-51 advantage. After Anderson cut the margin to a point, Williams would hit a triple, followed by three freebies, to cap off a Defiance 60-53 win.

The Yellow Jackets return to the Karl H. Weaner Center on Saturday, Jan. 7 as they continue HCAC play with a matchup against Transylvania (Ky.) University. The women's game will be the first game of a basketball doubleheader with the Yellow Jacket men and will begin at 1 p.m., followed by the men at 3 p.m.