Jackets Fall to Transylvania in Rare Home Setback

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance College saw a 10-point halftime lead evaporate in a 66-59 loss to Transylvania on Saturday, as the Pioneers snapped DC's 10-game home winning streak against Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference foes that dated back over a full calendar year.

The Jackets dominated the opening 20 minutes of action, stifling the Transy attack and taking a 29-19 lead into the break. TU's lone offense in the first half came on nine points from Barrett Meyer, while the rest of the squad connected on only two-of-18 attempts from the floor.

That would quickly change out of the intermission however, as Transylvania knocked down five of its first seven shots, including a trio of three-point attempts to roar back to within a single point at 33-32 by the 16:02 mark.

The charge would continue for Transy, as a three-point play from Parker Stansberry lifted the Pioneers in front for the first time all afternoon with a 39-37 lead. A free throw from Tate Cox would later cap the 28-10 spurt to start the half, resulting in a 48-39 Transylvania advantage with 8:50 to play in the contest.

Defiance bounced back, eventually reclaiming the lead after Logan Wolfrum found Drew Frizell and Travis Schomaeker on back-to-back triples for a 54-53 edge, but Meyer answered with another trifecta of his own and went on to score seven of the next 10 points to push TU back in front by a 63-54 margin.

This time the Jackets would have no counter, as Meyer ended with a game-high 24 points in the 66-59 victory for the Pioneers (15-4, 10-2 HCAC).

The loss marked only the ninth time in 63 games during the Kyle Brumett era at DC that the Jackets had lost a game in which they held their opponent below the 70-point barrier.

Mason Roth led the way for DC with 14 points on five-of-seven shooting and a game-high three steals. Wolfrum sank nine free throws to finish with 13 points and seven assists, while Bernard Edwards ended with nine points and six rebounds and Ryan Hicks posted eight points, nine boards and one block.

Defiance (11-8, 7-5 HCAC) will look to bounce back on Wednesday, when it heads to Manchester to take on the Spartans (4-15, 1-11 HCAC) in a 7:30 pm tip.