DC Men's Basketball Thumps Transylvania

DEFIANCE, OHIO  --  The Defiance College men's basketball team posted a convincing 96-72 victory against Transylvania (Ky.) University despite a second-half scare by the Pioneers and was highlighted by a career performance by junior Michael Parker (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) in a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference game at the Karl H. Weaner Center on senior day.

Parker led all scorers with a career-high 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting (68.8 percent), including six three-pointers.  Junior Tyler Alexander (Indianapolis, Ind./Northwest) was second with 18 points to go along with a game-tying high seven rebounds.  Junior Devin Mangas (Leipsic) scored 12 points and senior Wade Wooley (Wauseon) added 11 points.

Defiance (14-9, 12-4 HCAC) shot 54.5 percent overall from the floor in the first half, including 50.0 percent from behind the arc and held Transylvania (10-13, 9-7 HCAC) to just 27.6 percent from the field and 12.5 percent from long range.  The Jackets never trailed in the game and quickly took control jumping out to an 11-point lead, 17-6, at the 14:58 minute mark that included an 8-0 scoring run that ended in a triple by Parker.

DC led by double figures the rest of the period and led by as many as 30 points, 52-22, with 1:49 to go following a pair of free-throws by Mangas in a dominant Yellow Jacket effort in the first half.  The Pioneers tallied the final three points of the half, all from the free-throw line, but still trailed Defiance by 27 points, 52-25, at the break.

The Transylvania offense found some rhythm in the second half shooting 59.4 percent overall and 50.0 percent from three-point range.  The Pioneers slowly chipped away at the Yellow Jacket lead and pulled to within 12 points, 59-47, as part of a 22-7 run to begin the final 20 minutes.  Transylvania equaled its 12-point deficit for a second time shortly after before Defiance took back momentum with an 11-2 run that ended in a layup by Mangas to extend the lead back to over 20 points, 73-52, just under the 10-minute mark.

Defiance never felt its lead threatened the rest of the way and would find itself leading by 25 points, 90-65, in the final minutes on a pair of freebies by Alexander.  The final points of the game came on a DC layup by freshman Josh Whitfield (Fishers, Ind./Arsenal Tech) as the Yellow Jackets cruised to the 96-72 final.

Transylvania was led in scoring by Alex Jones with 28 points.  Cooper Theobald was second with 12 points and Lowell Gordon had 11 points.  Rounding out the high scorers was Parker Stansberry with 10 points.

Defiance will host Manchester (Ind.) University in a HCAC game on Wednesday, Feb. 17 in the regular-season home finale at the Weaner Center.  Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.