Men's Basketball Edged in Season Opener

ADRIAN, MICH. - The Defiance College men's basketball team tipped off the 2018-19 regular season under the direction of fourth year head coach Scott Cutter on Saturday night. The Yellow Jackets battled Adrian College to a 94-82 defeat. 

The 2018-19 season opener was off to a back-and-forth start as the Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets fought for control of the game. A Tyler Andrew (Indianapolis, Ind. / Lawrence Central) three-point field goal gave the Purple and Gold a 10-8 lead over the hosts early in the first half. 

Adrian fought back to take the lead, before putting some separation between the two sides. As the teams headed to the locker rooms for half time, the hosts held a 46-35 lead. 

After a handful of baskets from the Bulldogs, Mason Laube (Dewitt, Mich. / Dewitt) followed up with a three-point field goal of his own to keep the score within 11, 38-49. 

With Adrian up 60-38, the Yellow Jackets looked to close the gap on the hosts. A pair of Laube free throws, a Sean Tyson (Columbus / Centennial) three-point field goal, and a Andrew free throw gave the Yellow Jackets a six point run to move the score to 60-44.

The Defiance effort fell just short as the Bulldogs continued to keep a gap between the sides. with a 92-80 lead, Davontae Kinnie (Ft. Wayne, Ind. / Northside) sunk a layup to keep a ten point gap on the scoreboard. A pair of Adrian free throws closed the game out 94-82 for the hosts. 

On the day, DC shot an even 40% from the field, with a slightly higher 40.6% from behind the arc. 

Offensively, five Yellow Jackets found their way into double-digit scoring, with Kinnie leading the way with 16 points of his own. The Purple and Gold grabbed 42 boards on the day, Andrew snagged nine of his own, while Jordan Maschino brought in seven off the bench. Defiance out-rebounded the Bulldogs 42-34 during the contest. 

The loss begins the Yellow Jacket's season with an 0-1 record. Defiance will continue the season as they make the short drive to Ada, Ohio to take on Ohio Northern on Monday, Nov. 12. Tip-off is set for 7:00 pm.