Women's basketball concludes the season with a loss at Anderson

ANDERSON, Ind.- The Defiance College women's basketball team traveled to Anderson University for the first round of the 2021 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament. The season comes to an end for the Yellow Jackets with a 60-41 loss at the O.C. Lewis Gymnasium.

The Ravens jumped out to an early lead in the first half, as they went into halftime with a nine-point advantage over the Yellow Jackets. Defiance continued to chip away, but the deficit sought too much for the Purple and Gold as Anderson came out with the win. 

Defiance was led by senior Kalyn Pickens, who tallied her fourth consecutive double-digit game with 11 points, three rebounds, and two steals. Following the game, third-year head coach Allan King Jr. acknowledged his one senior, who played in her final contest in a Yellow Jacket uniform.

"What a way to finish the year," said King, "Kalyn came out in the first half and kept us in the game through the first quarter, carrying us offensively and doing a great job on the defensive end." King added, "That's who Kalyn Pickens is as a person; she is willing to do whatever it takes for the team to do well. She works hard and is always positive, and that's why she is successful on the court and in the classroom." Lastly, King said, "She is going to be a great success in life, and I couldn't be more proud of her." 

Nysha Speed followed close behind, recording six points and a team-high six rebounds, while Lexie Sparks and Taylor Day each added five points and four rebounds to the Yellow Jacket totals. 

The Purple and Gold attempted 59 field goals, making 15 (25.4 percent), compared to Anderson's 20-of-46 (43.5) effort. DC was 7 of 5 (46.7 percent) at the free-throw line while the Ravens connected on 15 of 20 (75 percent). Defiance committed nine turnovers, while Anderson was guilty of 14 turnovers which led to nine points for the Yellow Jacket offense. 

Defiance concludes the 2020-2021 season with a 2-9 overall record. Anderson moves to 6-6 overall and will face No. 1 seed Bluffton University in the second round of the HCAC Tournament.

Reflecting on the season as a whole, King said, "We've had adversity throughout the season, and the thing I am proud of is that we never wavered, we never put our heads down, and we continued to battle through it all. Most importantly, we learned life lessons along the way, and that's just going to make these players even more successful in life." King concluded with, "I can't be more excited about the future of our program. We're on the right track, and we have the right people involved in this program, and we are going to be successful."