Defiance Survives Ferrum for Fourth-Straight Win

SALEM, Va. – Defiance College nearly let a 21-point lead slip away against Ferrum on Saturday, before securing the 87-85 victory to advance into Sunday's championship game at the Domino's New Year's Classic hosted by Roanoke.

The Jackets nearly ran away with the victory despite struggling from the floor and shooting just 40 percent. DC countered the shooting woes by dominating the glass by a 51-42 margin and showing great ball movement, en route to 22 assists and only 11 turnovers. The depth of the Purple and Gold also came into play once again, as DC's reserves outscored Ferrum's non-starters by a hefty 42-3 clip.

The strong team effort allowed Defiance to lead throughout much of the afternoon and a 12-4 rally to close the first half secured a 45-33 lead at the break for the Jackets.

Anthony Brown widened that gap to 51-33 with a pair of three-point shots to begin the second stanza and the lead gradually swelled to 66-45 with just over 12 minutes remaining in the contest.

The 21-point cushion would not last long however, as Ferrum closed the game with a furious comeback and managed to draw within three points in the closing seconds. Mike Floyd would ice the victory however, sinking a pair of free throws with one second left to put DC up five. Ferrum (5-6) would hit a half-court three at the horn, but it was merely a formality in the, 87-85, Defiance victory.

Floyd led the charge once again, ending with 17 points, nine assists and four steals, while Heath Armstrong and Brown combined for six treys and 26 points. Nick Sales filled the stat sheet with eight points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals and Kevin Tietje chipped in 14 points.

The Jackets placed four players in double figures for the fourth-straight game. Defiance has notched wins in all four, while averaging 95.0 points per game during that stretch.

DC (10-2, 2-2 HCAC) will look to keep its offense clicking when it goes for its third tournament championship of the season on Sunday at 3:00 pm. Defiance will face the winner of Saturday night's Roanoke and Ohio Wesleyan game.