Parker Scores Career High in Loss to ONU

DEFIANCE, OHIO  --  Junior Michael Parker (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) scored a career-high 25 points and made six three-pointers, but it would not be enough as the Yellow Jacket men's basketball team fell to Ohio Northern University, 93-83, in a non-conference game and home opener at the Karl H. Weaner Center.

Parker was one of four players to score in double figures for DC with his team-best 25 points on seven-of-10 shooting (70.0 percent), including going six-of-nine (66.7 percent) from three-point range and five-of-six (83.3 percent) from the free-throw line.  Junior Chris Holmes (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) was second with 15 points, followed by sophomore Devin Mangas (Leipsic) with 14 points.  Senior Wade Wooley (Wauseon) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points.

As a team, the Jackets shot 44.6 percent from the field (25-of-56) and went to the free-throw line 31 times and made 24 for a 77.4 shot percentage.

Defiance (1-2) led by as many as four points, 12-8, in the early minutes of the first half following a triple by Holmes at the 15:18 minute mark.  Ohio Northern (3-1) then scored five straight points to take a 13-12 advantage.  The two teams went back-and-forth over the next several minutes as the teams swapped leads nine times and were tied six times in the opening period.  After a triple by Mangas that gave the Jackets a one-point edge, 29-28, with just over seven minutes to go before halftime, the Polar Bears went on a 9-3 scoring run to regain the lead, 37-32, and never trailed in the game again.  ONU went on lead by as many as seven points late in the period, but a layup by Wooley would be the final points of the half and narrowed the deficit to five points, 46-41, at the intermission.

Coming out the break, ONU scored seven unanswered points to record its first double-figure lead of the contest, 53-41, with 18:44 left in the game.  DC fought back with an ensuing 9-2 run that ended in a jumper by junior Keandre Gilmer (Toledo/Rogers) to get the Jackets back to within five points, 55-50, with 17:18 to go.  But that was as close as DC would get as the Polar Bears answered with a 6-0 run to extend the margin back to double figures.  ONU put the game away with a 11-2 run near the midway point of the half to take a commanding 21-point lead, 84-63, at the 7:26 mark.  DC made it a 10-point game with 34 seconds to go on a pair of free-throws by freshman Adam Ney (Vandalia/Vandalia Butler), but the Polar Bears already had the game in hand and went on to claim the 93-83 victory.

ONU shot 53.3 percent (38-of-71) for the game and was led in scoring by Devon Allen with a game-high 31 points.  Ryan Bruns was second with 20 points and Travis Feitshans added 12 points.  In addition, Joey Hurless had a game-high 11 assists.

Defiance will travel to Tiffin for a non-conference game against Heidelberg University on Saturday, Nov. 28.  The game is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.