Strong second half propels women's basketball to HCAC victory

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Behind a huge second-half performance, the Defiance College women's basketball team pulled out another Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference victory on Wednesday evening. The Yellow Jackets topped Earlham in the Karl H. Weaner Center, 69-63.

The Quakers were off to a quick start in the first, outscoring DC 17-6. Coach Allan King Jr.'s side responded in the second behind seven different Yellow Jackets sinking shots to head into halftime down 33-24.

"I told them we just have to believe and come back little by little," said King.  "Just keep believing and keep playing hard."

The Yellow Jackets took Coach King's halftime words and ran with them in the second half of action. After a huge offensive rebound and buzzer-beating layup from Lexie Sparks (Trenton/Kings), the sides were primed for an exciting fourth quarter as they sat knotted at 44.

DC posted 12 of the first 14 points in the fourth quarter to set the tone for yet another exciting finish. Ultimately posting 25 points in the final period, the Yellow Jackets ground their way to the HCAC win.

Sparks led the way offensively for the Yellow Jackets as the freshman posted a season-high 18 points. Briana Townley (Paulding/Paulding) posted a second consecutive double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

"Those two [Sparks and Townley], along with Kalyn Pickens (Fort Wayne, Ind./R. Nelson Snider) absolutely carried us off the bench and had fantastic games," King mentioned. The trio combined for 36 of Defiance's 44 bench points.

Chipping in with a strong offensive night was Taylor Steinbrunner (Beavercreek/Beavercreek). The freshman tallied 15 points of her own in the affair, the seventh double-digit performance of her season.

As a team, Defiance shot 40.4 percent from the field while recording a 28.6 percent mark from beyond the arc. On the glass, DC was dominant, outrebounding Earlham 42-29 for the night. Defensively, the Yellow Jackets forced Earlham into 14 turnovers.

"This is a huge momentum builder going into the second round of conference games," noted the second-year head coach. "Our team is coming together at the right time, and we've given ourselves the opportunity to take care of business."

The win marks the halfway point in the gauntlet that is the HCAC regular season. With just nine games remaining, Defiance's record stands at 6-10 overall and 5-4 in league play.

DC will travel to Hanover College on Saturday, January 25, to take on the Panthers. Tip-off is slated for 1:00 pm.