Men’s basketball concludes 2019-20 season with HCAC loss

FRANKLIN, Ind. – In its final game of the 2019-20 season on Saturday afternoon, the Defiance College men's basketball team lost, 87-75, to the host Franklin College Grizzlies inside the Spurlock Center.

Defiance finishes the campaign at 11-14 overall and 6-12 in the HCAC (tied for seventh place). Franklin, which is 17-8 overall, earned a share of the conference regular-season championship with a 13-5 record and will enter next week's HCAC Tournament as the No. 2 seed.

The Yellow Jackets had a 7-4 lead in the early going but the Grizzles went on a 36-17 run from there and led, 40-26, at halftime. The hosts upped the advantage to 65-50 before DC went on a 15-4 run to get within four points, 69-65, with 6:22 to go. FC increased its edge to 10 points but Defiance trimmed it down to six, 81-75, with 1:38 left. Franklin then scored the contest's final six points on 6-of-6 shooting at the free throw line.

Both teams shot well from both the field and foul line as the Yellow Jackets made 29 of 59 (49.2 percent) from the floor and 12 of 14 (85.7) of their free throws, compared to 33 of 66 (50.0) and 13 of 16 (81.3), respectively, for the Grizzlies. FC outrebounded its guests, 38-27, and got 34 points off the bench to DC's 16.

Defiance was led by two sophomores in Marell Jordan (Lafayette, Ind./Jefferson) and Sean Tyson (Columbus, Ohio/Centennial). Jordan poured in a game-high 26 points while Tyson scored 20 on 7-of-11 shooting from the field, hitting 2 of 4 from three-point territory and all four of his foul shots. Tyson also handed out a game-best four assists with freshman David Perkins (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) contributing 11 points and five rebounds in a reserve role. Another sophomore, Tyler Andrew (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence Central), paced DC on the boards with six.

The youthful Jackets have no seniors and just one junior on its 2019-20 roster.