MBB Preview: Yellow Jackets and Beavers close out season on Friday

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DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance College wraps up the 2022-23 men's basketball season with a Senior Night matchup against their rivals from Bluffton. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. with senior recognition taking place approximately 15 minutes after the conclusion of the preceding women's game that tips off at 6 p.m.

Both teams are eliminated from the upcoming HCAC Tournament beginning on Sunday and hold the bottom two spots in the conference standings. DC takes aim at finishing strong after taking down Earlham at home in overtime on Tuesday night, 99-97, to break a five-game losing streak. The Beavers have lost two straight following a win over Earlham on their senior night on February 8. Bluffton lost at Manchester, 84-62, on Tuesday night.

Marell Jordan can solidify his HCAC-best scoring average of 18.3 points per game after missing Tuesday night's contest. Jordan is in the top 10 all-time in Jackets history in scoring, blocks and steals. Bluffton's top scorers are Kegan Owen at 12.2 points per game followed closely by freshman Brady Wheeler with 11 points per contest.

As a team, Defiance scores 71 points per game compared to a league-low 57 points per night for Bluffton. DC gives up over 80 points per game, the most in the conference, while the Beavers are mid-pack at 71 points allowed on average. Both schools have been plagued by turnovers all year with nearly 15 per game apiece and rank eighth and ninth in turnover margin with Defiance minus-2.25 and Bluffton minus-2.63. Bluffton is last in the conference in shooting percentage at 38.7 percent while DC is fifth at 44 percent. The Yellow Jackets pace the HCAC in 3-point shooting percentage by knocking down 37.8 percent of attempts outside the arc.

Defiance seniors Marell Jordan, Te Jones, Grant Johnson, Jerome Johnson, Dejsani Beamon, Kiewaun Graham, Jabryis Heidelburg and early graduate Easton Lewis take the court for the last time for the Yellow Jackets. Tonight's game is also the final game for Bluffton head coach Guy Neal, who has manned the program for 34 seasons.

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