Roth Hits Game-Winner in Come-From-Behind Win

KALAMAZOO, MICH. -- Trailing by as many as nine points in the game, senior guard Mason Roth (McComb) scored what turned out to be the game-winning layup as the Defiance College men's basketball team rallied to beat Kalamazoo (Mich.) College, 60-59, in non-conference action in Kalamazoo, Mich.

Roth's layup was his only made field goal of the night, but would convert five-of-six free-throws to finish the game with seven points. He also grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds to go along with four assists and a steal. Senior forward Kent Tietje (Hamler/Patrick Henry) led three players in double figures with a career-high 15 points on five-of-nine shooting (55.6 percent), including five-of-eight (62.5 percent) at the charity stripe. He also grabbed nine rebounds, tying his career-high mark. Senior guard Travis Schomaeker (Ottawa/Ottawa-Glandorf) was second with 13 points and sophomore guard Michael Parker (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) added 12 points on four made three-pointers.

Kalamazoo (4-4) jumped out to a 14-5 lead early in the first half, but Defiance (5-3) then outscored the Hornets, 12-4, and pulled to within a point, 18-17, with 5:29 left in the period following a three-point play by Tietje. The Yellow Jackets never took the lead in the first 20 minutes and found themselves trailing by nine points again, 31-22, with just over a minute remaining before halftime. Tietje recorded the final points of the half on a jumper and one-of-two free-throws to narrow the gap to 31-25 at the break.

Kalamazoo maintained its lead for the majority of the final period and led by seven points, 36-29, with 16:21 to go. But every time the Hornets looked to pull away, the Jackets rallied back to stay within striking distance. DC recorded its first lead of the game at the 5:54 mark on a three-pointer by Parker that made the score, 51-50. Parker's triple was part of a 16-6 scoring run which ended in another three-point play by Tietje to give the Jackets a five-point advantage with 3:46 to play. Kalamazoo mounted a rally of its own and came back to regain the lead, 59-58, with 42 seconds on the clock. Neither team found the bottom of the net until the 11-second mark when Roth converted a layup to put DC on top, 60-59. Kalamazoo set up for the final shot attempt, but could not make its final attempt as the Jackets posted the one-point victory.

As a team, the Hornets shot 43.8 percent (21-of-48) overall, including an impressive 64.3 percent (nine-of-14) from three-point range. Individually, Adam Dykema led the way with a game-high 17 points. Mike Oravetz rounded out the high scorers with 12 points.

Defiance will be idle until the Yellow Jackets host the annual Purple & Gold Tournament on Monday-Tuesday, Dec. 29-30. DC will host Illinois Institute of Technology on Monday with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Karl H. Weaner Center.