
Jackets put up a fight in exhibition at IUPUI
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Defiance Yellow Jackets contended and held the lead past the midway point of the first half in Thursday's exhibition game at Division I IUPUI before the Jaguars snapped their five-game losing stream at home with a 90-67 final. The contest did not count towards Defiance's record and was the last session before returning to conference play next week.
DC's first five baskets were 3-pointers from Devin Goodwyn, Will Gehlhausen, Evan Park, and two by Landen Swanner as the Jackets held multiple early leads. Park's make at the 13:51 mark put Defiance ahead by a four, 15-11. The Jackets scrapped through most of the first half and won the race to 20 points on a Landon Wells layup with 7:44 to go before halftime. The scales tipped back to IUPUI over the closing minutes of the half as the Jaguars closed the first half on a 22-8 run.
In the second half, Defiance kept things as close as a dozen with 9:36 left in the game when Jordyn Jury hit a triple to tighten the score to 63-51. Misses and turnovers characterized much of the last quarter of the contest as IUPUI outpaced Defiance 19-9 over the following five minutes to put the game away.
Landen Swanner led the way for the Yellow Jackets with 14 points, including four 3-pointers, and had a team-best five rebounds. Eight different players hit treys for Defiance as the team totaled 14 baskets from downtown. Devin Goodwyn chipped in with eight while Jordyn Jury and Evan Park added seven points apiece. Four Jaguars reached double figures in scoring and were led by an 18-point effort by Jlynn Counter.
IUPUI outshot Defiance with a 57 percent clip from the floor compared to DC's 45 percent. The Yellow Jackets made up substantial ground with their 14 3-pointers while IUPUI sank just four shots from deep. However, IUPUI dominated at the free throw line by going 32-for-37 at the charity stripe.
The Jackets return to action on December 30 after an eight-day layoff with the team's first home game in over a month and entertain winless Earlham for a 3 p.m. tipoff at the Karl H. Weaner Center.
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