Yellow Jackets sweep the Beavers for first time in six seasons

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Defiance College Yellow Jackets rode a hot start to a 62-53 victory over Bluffton Wednesday night, marking the first time that either team has swept the regular season series since Defiance did it in 2007-08. 

The victory was also the first for Defiance on Bluffton's home court since the 2010-11 season.

Mason Roth led the way for the Yellow Jackets in the victory, putting up a season high 23 points, including three from behind the arch while going 6-of-6 from the free-throw line.

Bluffton would strike first as Will Pope hit a jumper in the paint to give the Beavers a 2-0 lead to start the game.  Wade Wooley (Wauseon, Ohio / Wauseon) scored on the very next DC possession, tipping in a shot from the paint to tie it up.

A Bluffton three on the next possession would give the Beavers their biggest and last lead of the night, as Bernard Edwards (Detroit, Mich. / Warren Cousino) would answer with a three of his own to even the score at five, just two minutes into the game.

Buckets from Wooley, Travis Schomaeker (Ottawa, Ohio / Ottawa-Glandorf), and Roth (McComb, Ohio / McComb) would give DC a 12-7 lead.

Then Edwards got hot for the Yellow Jackets.  The junior scored the next eight points for DC, in a 98 second span, that included a lay-in and two three's.  Edwards' run pushed the Yellow Jackets into an 11-point lead with 13:40 to go in the first half.

After a nice tip-in from Roth on the next trip down, DC suffered a scoring drought.  The Yellow Jackets would go the next four minutes and 31 seconds without scoring a point.  However, DCs tough defense helped them through the drought, only allowing Bluffton to score four points in the span.

Ryan Hicks (Port Clinton, Ohio / Port Clinton) put a stop to the Bluffton run with a jumper in the paint at the 8:14 mark.

DC would slowly build up its lead from that point, capping it off with a tip-in layup at the buzzer by Kent Tietje (Deshler, Ohio / Patrick Henry) to give the Yellow Jackets a commanding 35-19 halftime lead.

Bluffton came out swinging the second half.  Within the first four minutes, the Beavers were able to cut the lead to single digits on a three point shot from Brock Homier.

After a timeout, the Yellow Jackets seemed a bit calmer and buckets from Edwards, Schomaeker, and Hicks pushed the lead back to 13 points.

Following a Bluffton layup, Roth hit his next two three-point shots, giving DC a 17-point lead over its rival.  The lead was DC's biggest of the game and came with just eight minutes left in the game.

A Tietje layup at the 6:07 mark would be the last field goal of the game for DC as Bluffton had one more good run left in them. The Beavers were able to get the lead down to six points with one minute left by way of a couple of three point field goals and layups.

But the Yellow Jackets were able to win the game at the line.  DC went 9-of-11 in the last two minutes from the line to seal the victory.  Roth showed poise, converting on all six of his free throw attempts in that time frame.

Roth finished 7-for-11 from the field including 3-of-5 from downtown.  He added 8 boards in his performance.

Edwards added 14 points for the Yellow Jackets as Schomaeker and Hicks chipped in nine and eight, respectively.

The series sweep is the first time in Coach Brumett's tenure that he has swept the Beavers in the regular season.

DC will now set their sights on a trip to Rose-Hulman for a huge match up with the Fightin' Engineers.  Both teams sit a 9-2 in conference play, with the winner taking sole possession of the HCAC.