Wolfrum Nets 40 to Carry Jackets Past Manchester

N. MANCHESTER, Ind. – Logan Wolfrum went for 40 points to move into third place on Defiance College's all-time scoring list and scored the game-winner with no time left on the clock to push the Yellow Jackets to a 78-77 win at Manchester on Wednesday.

Wolfrum's third 40-point showing of his career marked a new season-high and was bolstered by 25 points on nine-of-12 shooting during the final stanza. The Defiance, Ohio, native ended with 40 points, six rebounds and six assists to climb to 1,687 career points and within 17 points of becoming the all-time leading scorer in DC's NCAA Division III tenure.

The Jackets would need every single point from Wolfrum, as the senior guard took over the game in the final 9:30 to help DC overcome a 10-point deficit in the closing minutes. Wolfrum buried five three-point shots during that span and scored 19 of the final 21 points for Defiance, including each of the last 13 to help pull out the victory.

Wolfrum opened the closing flurry with a pair of long-distance daggers to cut Manchester's 67-57 lead at the 9:30 mark down to 67-63 but the Spartans rallied back to extend the lead to 10 once again with 6:22 left in the game.

A bucket from Hosie Smith stopped the quick MU spurt and it would be all Wolfrum from that point on, as another triple from the Ayersville High product brought Defiance within five and a three-point play trimmed the gap to 75-71 at the 3:07 mark.

Wolfrum kept coming with back-to-back trifectas on DC's next two possessions, with his fifth and final three-point make of the half giving Defiance a 77-75 lead with 1:45 to play and putting the Jackets on top for the first time since midway through the first half.

The Jackets would need one final possession from Wolfrum however, as a Greg Flores layup knotted the score at 77-77 with 17 ticks left on the clock. Wolfrum then struck one last time, drawing a foul with no time left on the clock and hitting the game-winning free throw to send Defiance home with the 78-77 win.

While Wolfrum ended with 15 makes in 21 attempts from the floor, the rest of the DC squad also had the touch on Wednesday. The Jackets knocked down a season-high 15 three-point shots in 29 tries and shot 53.7 percent from the field for the game.

Defiance (12-8, 8-5 HCAC) will look to take another step towards securing a spot in the upcoming Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament, when it travels to Mount St. Joseph (7-13, 6-7 HCAC) on Saturday for a 3:00 pm tip.