Defiance Defeats MSJ; Jackets Move Into Tie For First

CINCINNATI, OHIO  --  The Defiance College men's basketball team defeated Mount St. Joseph University, 71-67, and moves into a tie for first place in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference with the Lions.

Senior Wade Wooley (Wauseon) posted his fourth double-double of the season with 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.  Junior Tyler Alexander (Indianapolis, Ind./Northwest) led the Yellow Jackets in scoring with a game-high 22 points on an impressive 90.9 percent shooting (10-of-11).  Junior Michael Parker (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) scored all 12 of his points for the game from three-point range, finishing with four triples.  Freshman Adam Ney (Vandalia/Vandalia/Butler) tied Parker for second on the team in points with 12 and also connected on four triples.

In addition, junior Chris Holmes (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) finished in double figures in rebounds with 10 to go along with six points.

Mount St. Joseph (11-7, 8-2 HCAC) led for the majority of the first half and led by as many as seven points on three occasions, including a 24-17 advantage with 6:06 left in the half.  Defiance (10-7, 8-2 HCAC) then went on a 6-0 scoring run thanks to a pair of free-throws and a jumper by Wooley and a pair of free-throws by junior Devin Mangas (Leipsic) to get to within a point, 24-23, at the 4:40 mark.

The Lions answered with five unanswered points to extend the lead to six points, 29-23.  But DC would rally again and cut the deficit to one point, 31-30, following a layup by Wooley to end the scoring in the half.  

The second half began with a another layup by Wooley which gave DC its first lead of the game since early in the opening period.  The bucket was part of a 9-0 run by the Jackets that carried over from the end of the first half and led to a six-point advantage with 17:45 left in the game.  Following a three-pointer by MSJ on its ensuing possession, the Jackets then went on an 8-0 run to record its first double-digit lead, 45-34, with just over 15 minutes to go.

DC went on to lead by as many as 15 points, 58-43, with 8:06 to go on a three-pointer by Ney as part of a 13-2 run.  The Lions then began a rally of their own with an ensuing 11-0 run to make it a 58-54 game with five-and-a-half minutes to go.  Defiance never relinquished the lead the rest of the way, but would see its lead deminish to just a point, 66-65, with under a minute remaining.

A three-point play by Alexander gave the Jackets some breathing room with a four-point margin, 69-65, with 25 seconds to go in the game.  MSJ cut the lead in half with a pair of free-throws on a technical foul, but freshman Blake Dunbar (Napoleon) sealed the victory for DC with two free-throws of his own giving DC the 71-67 win.

MSJ was led in scoring by Travis Combs with 14 points.  Joel Scudder was second with 13 points and Erik Edwards added 12 points.

Defiance will take on Anderson (Ind.) University in a HCAC game on Wednesday, Jan. 27 at the Karl H. Weaner Center.  The game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.