Shorthanded Jackets Cruise Past Earlham

GREENCASTLE, Ind. – Defiance took the court on Sunday missing three of its top guards but never trailed in an 83-68 victory over Earlham. The victory gave the Yellow Jackets a third-place showing in the 2008 Mike Rokicki Community Versus Cancer Challenge.

DC overcame the daunting task of playing without starting guards Mike Floyd and Anthony Jackson, as well as top backcourt reserve, Kyle Tietje, by dominating the Quakers on the interior. The Jackets outscored Earlham, 38-14, in the paint and owned a 45-22 edge in rebounds and an 18-6 cushion in second-chance points.

Anthony Pettaway and Nick Sales had their way in the post, combining for 34 points on 12-of-17 shooting and pulling down 21 rebounds. Pettaway only took seven shots, but sank six and ended with 17 points and 13 boards for his third double-double effort of the season. Sales countered with 17 points of his own, on six-of-10 shooting and added eight rebounds, three assists and a trio of steals.

The Jackets also got outstanding play in the backcourt from Eric Stolly, Heath Armstrong and Anthony Brown. The trio rounded out the injury-depleted starting lineup for Defiance and played a major role in the lopsided victory.

Stolly complimented Pettaway and Sales on the battle of the glass, joining Pettaway in double-digits and setting a new personal-best by chasing down 10 caroms. The junior guard also poured in seven points and dished out a team-leading four assists from his wing position.

Armstrong and Brown kept the Quakers honest by firing away from beyond the arc. Armstrong dropped in six three-point shots in eight tries for a game-high 20 points, while Brown went three-for-five from long distance and ended with 13 points and three assists.

DC ended the afternoon contest by hitting a blistering 56.9-percent of its shots. The well-rounded attack included a 58.8-percent clip from downtown and a 55.9-percent rate from inside the arc.

Defiance climbs to 2-3 overall with the win and will now take the week to get healthy and prepare to open its 2008-2009 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference portion of the schedule when it plays at Hanover on Dec. 6 at 3:00 pm.

The game will be DC's first against former mentor Jon Miller, who guided the Jackets to 67 wins over the past five seasons. Miller led the Jackets to the HCAC Championship one year ago, prior to accepting the head coaching position at Hanover.