Defiance seeks bounce back on the road at Ohio Wesleyan

The Defiance College women's basketball team looks to gain their first win of the 2022-2023 season on Tuesday night in a non-conference matchup.

The Yellow Jackets (0-1) will travel to Delaware, Ohio to play North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) opponent, Ohio Wesleyan (1-1). 

This meeting will mark the 14th overall game the two teams will have played. The first meeting dates back to February 28, 1973, while the most recent meeting was last season on November 17. The Yellow Jackets have gone 5-8 with a winning percentage of .385.

In 2021, the Yellow Jackets lost in a heartbreaker with a final score of 49-47. Key plays from the game include now Yellow Jacket Graduate, Nysha Speed scoring a total of 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 steals. Now senior Lauren Criblez tied Speed, also grabbing 9 rebounds and recording 3 steals. The Yellow Jackets shot 16-of-50 (.320) from the floor and 5-of-23 (.217) from behind the arc.

The Fighting Bishops of Ohio Wesleyan were able to pick up the win with some big-time plays. Now junior Kasey Shipfer totaled 21 points and picked up 11 rebounds. The Bishops outscored Defiance 36-18 in points in the paint and were able to score 17 points off of Defiance turnovers, helping lead the Fighting Bishops to a big-time win. 

Key players to watch for Defiance include seniors Nicole Sims (Camden, Ohio/Preble Shawnee) and Taylor Steinbrunner (Beavercreek, Ohio/ Beavercreek). Steinbrunner was Defiance's leading scorer a year ago at 12.5 points per game and top 3-point shooter with 44 makes. She posted 13 points in the season-opening loss at Kenyon.

Key players to watch for Ohio Wesleyan include Kasey Schipfer (Mechanicsburg, Ohio/Mechanicsburg) and junior Lauren Denison (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial), who lead the Fighting Bishops with 16.0 and 14.5 points per game respectively.

Defiance looks to end a two-game losing streak against Ohio Wesleyan with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Branch Rickey Arena in Delaware, Ohio.