Women's Basketball drops round one to Bluffton

DEFIANCE, Ohio - The Defiance College women's basketball team hosted rival Bluffton for round one Wednesday night at the Karl H. Weaner Center. The Beavers took the game by a final score of 81-54. 

With the win, Bluffton improves to 5-9 overall and 3-4 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. The loss drops the Yellow Jackets to 0-14 overall and 0-7 in the HCAC. 

TURNING POINT

Leading by five after the first quarter, Bluffton started to take control of the game in the second quarter. The Beavers turned 13 Defiance turnovers into 18 points and were +13 from the free throw line (15-2). Trailing 35-27 at halftime, the Yellow Jackets started the second half slow and Bluffton was the opposite, beginning the first 2:46 on a 10-4 run. The Beavers exploded for 27 points in the third and led by 22 entering the final period. By the end of the third quarter, the visitors had turned 16 Defiance turnovers into 25 points. Bluffton dominated the second half by outsourcing Defiance 46-27 that was capitalized by an 18-0 run in the final quarter.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The teams traded mini runs to begin the game. Bluffton scored the first five of the game over the first 2:43 of action. The Yellow Jackets answered with five straight of their own to tie the game. Karrie Smith hit a three just less than three minutes into the game for DC's first points and Zadria King knocked down a jump shot to tie it. The 5-5 tie was the only tie of the first quarter. The Beavers scored the next six points and would go on to outscore the Yellow Jackets 10-3 over the final seven minutes of the opening period. 

The Yellow Jackets opened the second quarter on a 7-0 run to take their first lead of the game, 15-13. King made a layup, Kaiya Albert made a jump shot, and a three from Teagan Hunt put the Yellow Jackets on top for the first time. That would be the only lead of the game for the Yellow Jackets and it lasted 32 seconds. The Beavers answered with a 9-0 run to regain the lead and began to take control from that point on. However, none of the nine points during the run came off turnovers. Taylor Bates made a layup to cut the deficit to five and that was as close as the Yellow Jackets could get for the remainder of the game. Ali Mowen hit a huge three in the final second of the first half to bring the Yellow Jackets within eight.

The eight point deficit quickly turned to ten nine seconds into the second half. Aliza Clark hit a three with 4:25 remaining in the third quarter, but the Yellow Jackets were unable to get any closer thanks to Bluffton's hot shooting. Bluffton shot 61 percent in the second half (17-for-28) that allowed them to explode for 46 points. The Yellow Jackets finished 38 percent from the field in the second half (9-for-24). Two free throws from Maddie Fitzpatrick with 3:10 remaining gave Bluffton their biggest lead of the game, 74-44. 

BRINGING THE STING

• Zadria King led the team with 14 points and six rebounds.

• Kaiya Albert grabbed a season high three steals. 

• Mone'a McElroy scored a season high seven points and knocked down two three-pointers, the first of her career while making her first career free throw. 

• Joining McElroy with seven points off the bench was Aliza Clark.

• The Yellow Jackets finished the game shooting 42.6 percent from the floor (20-for-47), their best shooting mark of the year. 

• Both teams finished with 22 bench points and both knocked down six from long range.

UP NEXT

The men's and women's basketball teams are both home again this Saturday, Jan. 13. The women tip things off with Franklin at 1 p.m. with the men's game to follow at 3 p.m.