Men's Hoops Falls Short of ONU in Battle of Unbeatens

ADA, OHIO  --  Trailing by a basket with just seconds to go, the Defiance College men's basketball team's final shot attempt missed its mark resulting in a 59-57 loss against Ohio Northern University in a non-conference game in Ada.

Following a missed one-and-one opportunity by ONU with under 10 seconds to go in regulation, DC senior forward Bernard Edwards' (Detroit, Mich./Warren Cousino) three-point attempt as time expired found the back of the rim giving the Polar Bears the two-point victory.  With the loss, the Yellow Jackets suffer their first loss of the season and are now 2-1 overall.  The Polar Bears, also unbeaten entering tonight's matchup, remain undefeated and improve to 4-0.

DC shot 36.7 percent (18-of-49) overall, but struggled from three-point range shooting just 28.0 percent (seven-of-25).  Bernard Edwards was the lone Yellow Jacket player in double figures with 17 points with 10 points coming at the free-throw line.  He ended the game shooting three-of-10 (30.0 percent) from the field and 10-of-13 (76.9 percent) at the charity stripe.  In addition, junior forward Wade Wooley (Wauseon) grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds. 

The Yellow Jackets looked to take control early, jumping out to a 12-2 lead with 15:03 to play in the first half.  ONU answered with an ensuing 9-0 scoring run to pull to within a point, 12-11, at the 12:58 minute mark.  Despite the Polar Bears tying the game on two occasions in the following minutes, DC never relinquished the lead until the 6:08 mark when ONU grabbed all momentum as part of a 14-2 scoring run to end the period and take a 35-26 advantage into the locker rooms.

DC could not pull ahead of ONU in the second half, but would get to within a point three times before the 10 minute mark, including a 42-41 margin with 12:26 to go in the game following a three-pointer by sophomore guard Michael Parker (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North).  Parker also connected on a jumper and triple that would pull the Jackets to within a point on their previous two possessions.  ONU later increased its lead to nine points, 57-48, with 5:21 remaining, but the Jackets made one final push with an 8-0 run that ended with a basket by Bernard Edwards to cut the deficit to a point yet again, 57-56, with 47 seconds on the clock.  Following an ONU layup and a free-throw by DC senior forward Kent Tietje (Hamler/Patrick Henry), the Polar Bears still led by two points with a chance to seal the victory at the free-throw line with five seconds to go.  But ONU failed on the free-throw attempt which led to a last second shot by Bernard Edwards.  But the shot would draw iron, giving the win to ONU.

The Polar Bears shot 38.6 percent (22-of-57) from the field and were led in scoring by Isaiah Roux with 16 points on six-of-12 shooting (50.0 percent).  

Defiance will travel to Delaware for a non-conference game against Ohio Wesleyan University on Saturday, Nov. 29.  The game is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.