Yellow Jackets Beat Hanover (Ind.) to Advance to HCAC Title Game

DEFIANCE, OHIO  --  The duo of senior guard Mason Roth (McComb) and senior forward Bernard Edwards (Detroit, Mich./Warren Cousino) both scored a game-high 18 points as the Defiance College men's basketball team defeated Hanover (Ind.) College in a semifinal game of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament at the Karl H. Weaner Center.  The Yellow Jackets will move on to face rival Bluffton University in the championship game on Sunday.

Defiance shot 52.2 percent (12-of-23) from three-point range and 43.8 percent overall (21-of-48).  In addition to Roth and Edwards, senior guard Travis Schomaeker (Ottawa/Ottawa-Glandorf) also scored in double digits with 15 points and had a game-high seven assists.  He also grabbed a game-tying high six rebounds.

Edwards scored the first points of the game on a jumper and three-point shot to give Defiance (20-6) the early 5-0 lead.  The Yellow Jackets never ended up trailing in the game, but Hanover (14-13) stayed within striking for the majority of the first half not allowing DC to pull away.  Leading by three points, Defiance made its move with an 8-0 scoring run that started just past the midway point of the period.  The run ended in a triple by Schomaeker resulting in an 11-point advantage, 28-17, with 5:31 left before the break.  The Panthers cut the deficit back to single digits on a layup, but the Jackets ended the half with another run, this time with eight straight points, including five points from senior guard Drew Frizell (Smithville) thanks to a three-pointer and a pair of free-throws.  The scoring streak gave DC its largest lead of the half of 17 points with a halftime score of 36-19.

Just when it looked like Defiance may cruise to victory and secure a spot in the title game, Hanover began its comeback by outscoring the Jackets, 19-8, within the first 10 minutes to narrow the gap to six points, 44-38, with 10:10 left in regulation.  Frizell was fouled on a three-point attempt on DC's ensuing possession and capitalized on all three "freebies" which began an 11-2 Defiance run to regain control and a 15-point lead, 55-40, at the 7:22 mark.  The Panthers would not threaten the rest of the way as the Yellow Jackets netted their largest margin of the game of 19 points with just over a minute-and-a-half to go en route to the 65-50 victory.

Hanover shot 44.4 percent (20-of-45) from the field, but just 25.0 percent (five-of-20) from long range.  The Panthers were led in scoring by Kyle James with 15 points.  Corey Muchmore rounded out the high scorers with 11 points.

Defiance will take on rival and sixth-seeded Bluffton University in the HCAC Tournament championship game tomorrow (Sunday, Mar. 1) at the Weaner Center.  The Beavers defeated second-seed Mount St. Joseph University in the other semifinal matchup to move on.  The two teams will square off at 2 p.m.  The winner will receive the HCAC automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Division III National Tournament.