Men's Basketball defeats rival Bluffton to end regular season

The Defiance men's basketball team defeated rival Bluffton in HCAC action to end their regular season on Friday night, 67-62.

The Basics

• Records: Defiance (11-10, 9-6), Bluffton (6-17, 2-13)
• Location: Sommer Center - Bluffton, Ohio

Inside The Numbers

• Senior Tyler Andrew led the Yellow Jackets with 22 points and had a team-high eight rebounds.
• Senior Marell Jordan added 14 points and dished out three assists.
• Sophomore Cameron Awls also scored 14 points off the bench.
• Freshman Landen Swanner chipped in eight points and grabbed five rebounds.
• As a team, Defiance shot 23-of-44 (.523) from the floor and went 3-of-5 (.600) from the three-point line.
• Jameel Cosby led Bluffton with 22 points.
• As a team, the Beavers went 25-of-54 (.463) from the field and shot 4-of-14 (.286) from behind the arc.

The Difference

• Both teams battled back and forth for the entire first half and saw Defiance take a slim 30-28 lead into halftime.
• With the score in favor of Bluffton, 48-47, with less than seven minutes remaining, the Beavers went on a big 12-1 run to take a ten point lead.
• The Yellow Jackets did not give up and answered with a 13-3 run to take a 63-62 lead. Andrew hit two crucial free throws to lift Defiance ahead.
• Andrew came up big once again by collecting an offensive rebound and making the layup to increase the lead to three, 65-62, with 20 seconds remaining.
• Jordan drilled two free throws in the end to seal the victory for Defiance, 67-62.
• The Yellow Jackets dominated at the charity stripe going 18-of-27 to Bluffton's 8-of-15.
• Defiance outrebounded the Beavers during the game, 33-27.
• Bluffton held a slight advantage in points in the point, 36-34.

Up Next

• The Yellow Jackets ended up clinching a spot in the HCAC Tournament with Round 1 starting on Sunday. Opponent, time, and location are yet to be determined.