Women's Basketball Concludes Season at Hanover

HANOVER, Ind. - The Defiance College women's basketball team concluded the 2017-18 season on Saturday afternoon at Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Hanover. The Yellow Jackets dropped the contest 81-66.

Defiance was led by junior Sam Ervin (Bloomdale) with a team-high 16 points, while senior Whitnney Schalk (Bellevue) added 12 points and seven assists.

The Panthers pulled away early in the opening period and never looked back as a 10-0 run gave them the 14-2 lead with 5:59 remaining. The Purple and Gold struggles continued as another Hanover surge put them on top 33-8 after the opening stanza.

The Yellow Jackets looked to rally in the second period as a quick score by Ervin pulled DC within 33-10. However, the Panthers offense continued to click as they strung together a series of scores to push the advantage, 43-14. Sophomore Sidney Faine (Bluffton) would close out the half for the DC as she connected from deep to pull Defiance within 51-24 at the half.

The Purple and Gold offense came alive in the second half as a small run late in the third period led by Ervin cut the deficit to 59-35 with 3:22 to play. Senior Brittany Osborne (Union City, Ind.) would find another score late in the final seconds of the quarter to enter the fourth trailing 65-39.

In the final period, Defiance used a 6-0 run, sparked by Schalk, to pull within 65-45. They continued to chip at the lead as senior Mekai White (Cincinnati) drained a three-pointer with 8:16 remaining. The Panthers combated the attack to capture the 81-66 win.