Jackets Hold Off Panthers for Third Straight Win

HANOVER, IND.  --  The Defiance College men's basketball team increased its win streak to three games with a 65-61 win against Hanover (Ind.) College in a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference game at Collier Arena in Hanover, Ind.

The Yellow Jackets were led by a trio of players in juniors Michael Parker (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North), Tyler Alexander (Indianapolis, Ind./Northwest) and Chris Holmes (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) who all scored 14 points.  Parker and Alexander both also added eight rebounds.  Freshman Blake Dunbar (Napoleon) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points.

In addition, senior Wade Wooley (Wauseon) grabbed a game-tying high nine rebounds and had a game-high three blocks defensively.

The first points of the game came on a three-pointer by Holmes, his first of three triples on the day, but Hanover (3-5, 2-1 HCAC) then scored five unanswered points to take a 5-3 lead.  The remainder of the first half featured three ties and a pair of lead changes.  

The Panthers led by as many as five points in the period on two occasions with the last one coming at the 1:46 minute mark with a score of 25-20.  Defiance (4-3, 3-0 HCAC) answered with a 5-0 scoring run thanks to a jumper by Wooley and a three-pointer by junior Devin Mangas (Leipsic) to even the score at 25-25 with 35 seconds to go before halftime.

Hanover scored what turned out to be the final points of the half to regain the lead, 27-25, heading into the locker rooms.

Defiance began the second half outscoring Hanover, 11-4, to move ahead on the scoreboard and lead, 36-31, following a triple by Dunbar with 14:26 left in the game.  The Jackets increased their lead shortly after with a 10-4 run that ended in another triple, this time by Parker, to give DC its largest lead of the game of nine points, 48-39, at the 8:33 mark.

DC led by seven points, 63-56, with a minute to go when Hanover made its final run with five straight points to make it a one-possession game, 63-61, with 14 seconds left.  The Panthers were forced to foul the Jackets and sent Parker to the line with the opportunity to seal the victory for DC.  Parker made good on both attempts to put DC up by four points with 12 seconds on the clock.

Hanover's final shot of the game came on a three-point attempt which missed its mark as DC went on to the four-point victory, 65-61, and remain perfect in HCAC play.

Hanover shot 37.7 percent (26-of-69) for the game and was held to 32.0 percent (eight-of-25) from three-point range.  The Panthers were led in scoring by Wes McKinney with a game-high 16 points.  Cameron Fails was the only other Hanover player in double figures with 15 points.

Defiance will look to keep its winning streak going when it hosts Kalamazoo (Mich.) College in a non-conference game on Tuesday, Dec. 15 at the Karl H. Weaner Center.  The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.