Yellow Jackets tamed at Transylvania, 93-69

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Defiance College was handed a 93-69 loss at Transylvania at the Beck Center on Saturday as the Yellow Jackets suffered their fifth straight defeat. The Yellow Jackets fall to 1-6 and 0-2 in the HCAC while the Pioneers improve to 3-1 with a win in their first HCAC contest.

After leading Defiance by 18 at the half, the Pioneers put the hammer down to start the second half and scored 37 points in just over 11 minutes. Transylvania made 14-of-18 for 78 percent to start the second half featuring six makes from outside the arc. The Pioneers held the lead since the first bucket of the game despite two early ties, scored 20 second-chance points and cashed in on 26 fastbreak points. 

TURNING POINT

Transylvania's lead expanded from two points to 14 during a 4:18 stretch of the first half. The 12-0 run was fueled by three Defiance turnovers. Two of those turnovers were on consecutive possessions that the Pioneers converted into five points; the first was a layup by Matthew Teague and the second was a transition, pull-up trey by Hunter Barr.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Both squads exchanged baskets over the first three minutes of the game before Transylvania's Jaylan Green sank a pair of treys to create the first multi-possession lead. The Yellow Jackets started 4-of-5 from the floor after getting a 3-pointer from Landen Swanner out of the first media timeout to make the score 12-9.

After a brief 5-0 run by the Pioneers, Clay McCorkle and Devin Goodwyn hit from outside to cut the Pioneer lead down to 17-15 at the 11:36 mark. Defiance went on to miss their next four attempts from the floor as Transylvania's lead swelled gradually during the first half.

By halftime, Transylvania held an 18-point lead. The scaled tipped their way due to a clean first half in which they committed just two fouls and did not turn the ball over during the first 15:50 of the game. Ten of the Pioneers' points were scored off Yellow Jacket turnovers with 12 second-chance points off seven offensive rebounds in the first half. In the free-throw department, Transylvania went 10-for-14 at the charity stripe led by two sets of three made by Simon Smith.

Out of the break, the tempo was swift as Transylvania held the upper hand 13-9 over the first five minutes of the half to push the lead beyond 20 points. The Pioneers narrowly outscored DC in the second half 47-41 and led by as many as 36 with just under eight minutes left in the contest.

Defiance's 47 percent shooting percentage for the game was the team's best shooting game of the season while 10 3-pointers snapped a four-game stretch without double digits in treys.

BRINGING THE STING

• Will Gehlhausen led the Yellow Jackets with a career-best 15 points and four rebounds. He knocked down three treys, also a career-best total.
• Landen Swanner was DC's only other scorer in double figures with 12. He canned two triples and dished out a season-best five assists.
• Clay McCorkle was busy in the first half with nine points.
• Devin Goodwyn poured in six points on a pair of 3-pointers.
• Jakob Trevino notched a career-high four rebounds, matching Sherod Brooks and Gehlhausen for the team lead.
• Jordyn Jury made Defiance's only three free throws during the final stages of the ballgame. DC went 3-for-4 as a team compared to 16-for-25 by the Pioneers.
• Everyone on the roster got in the game for the Yellow Jackets. Among the underclassmen who played a healthy dose at the game's close, Dre'Sean Roberts scored seven points for a new high in points for his freshman campaign.

UP NEXT

The Yellow Jackets are off until next Saturday when they head to Hanover for a noon tipoff against the Panthers.

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