Fourth quarter fatal for Yellow Jackets against Franklin

DEFIANCE, Ohio — The Defiance Yellow Jackets dropped their second straight Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference contest on Saturday afternoon to Franklin, 58-51.

The Grizzlies (2-3, 1-1 HCAC) outscored the Yellow Jackets (1-4, 0-2 HCAC), 15-4, in the final period with the help of an 8-0 run at the start of the quarter. Franklin found the right combination in the paint by scoring 10 points in front of the rim in the final quarter, including six of her seven points in the quarter by forward Jasmine Walker.

Defiance did not make a field goal in the fourth quarter and mustered just four free throws to finish the game with a 26 percent shooting percentage. Franklin, on the other hand, hit seven 3-pointers and 42 percent overall.

In the first half, Defiance built a respectable lead after a 12-0 run. That spurt opened up a 16-6 lead during a four-minute stretch in the middle of the first quarter. That run was fueled by a 3-point play on a McKenzie Cooper 15-footer plus a free throw along with a 3-pointer by Taylor Steinbrunner. Franklin added two buckets to close the first quarter score at 16-11. The Grizzlies went on to outscore the Yellow Jackets in the second quarter, 15-12, with help of a layup by Taylor Cooney in the last seconds before halftime.

Defiance held a 47-43 lead after three quarters before going cold in the fourth. Lexie Sparks led the Yellow Jackets with season-best 12 points despite fouling out early in the fourth. Cooper was right behind her in double-figures with a season-high 11 points.

Franklin out-rebounded Defiance, 47-29, despite committing 13 more turnovers (25-12). The Grizzlies' leading scorer on the season, freshman Jordan Coon, was limited to eight points. Taylor Cooney led the way with 13 and Lauren Bates followed behind with 12 points. 

The Yellow Jackets have a week of rest before returning on the road at Hanover next Saturday. The women's tipoff will be at 2 p.m. after the men's contest at noon.

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