Sudhoff, Angstmann lead DC in back-and-forth battle at UNOH

LIMA, Ohio - After posting the best first half of the season, the Defiance Yellow Jackets withstood multiple momentum changes in the second half to outlast the UNOH Racers, 88-86, at The Garage on Wednesday.

The Yellow Jackets (7-13, 4-10 WHAC) posted their highest-scoring game of the year in their second high-octane matchup of the season against the Racers (10-10, 6-7 WHAC). Defiance swept the season series against UNOH to end a run of three straight losses.

Defiance started the game red-hot and built a 20-11 lead with a 9-0 run early in the first half. Half of the team's output to that point was courtesy of Carter Sudhoff's 10 first-half points. That lead didn't stick as the Racers created some offense by pressing the Yellow Jackets. Defiance was forced into five straight turnovers inside a minute that led to a 13-3 spurt for the Racers.

Defiance bounced back and gained control for the remainder of the half. Zahyem Bradwell slammed in the go-ahead bucket at the halfway point before the Jackets got hot from the floor to finish the half shooting 58 percent. Defiance built up their lead to as many as 12 points in the first half while UNOH used 10 made free throws to keep the score within 10 points before the break.

UNOH still had plenty in the tank despite a 39 percent effort from the floor in the first half. The Racers sped into the lead, 61-59, using a 12-2 run but DC's Devonte Curry clipped the lead back to one with his second trey of the game. Defiance regained the lead moments later but the Racers pulled even at 70-70 as the game approached the last media stoppage. The Racers posted seven straight points in one minute before DC called timeout and that lead stood at eight points with 3:18 to play.

THE TURNING POINT

With Defiance facing their largest deficit of the game, the Yellow Jackets began to chip away over the last three minutes. Layups by Evan Angstmann and Jalen Brown trimmed UNOH's lead to three points with two minutes left before the duo went 3-for-4 at the stripe to tie the game at 82-82 with 1:21 left. The Racers added a layup to regain the lead but Brown found Angstmann for a go-ahead, corner 3-pointer with 47 seconds on the clock. Christian Burton drew a foul after a UNOH turnover and sank a pair of freebies to give the Jackets a three-point advantage with 29 ticks left. The Racers came a free throw shy of a 3-point play to tie things back up. Brown drew the final whistle and split his free throws to give Defiance a two-point cushion, which proved to be the difference after the Racers missed a potential game-tying layup on the other end.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Wednesday's contest was tied six times and featured 11 lead changes.
• Defiance's 49 points in the first half were their most to start a game this season. It was also the fifth contest out of 20 that DC held the lead at halftime.
• The Jackets' 58.3 percent shooting in the first half was their highest-shooting half of the campaign. In the second half, Defiance shot 40 percent
• Carter Sudhoff posted 10 points in just eight minutes in the first half but was limited in action due to three early fouls. Sudhoff finished with a team-high 19 points.
• Evan Angstmann shined in crunch time with 18 points after he was held to just seven points in the previous three games. The freshman forward knocked down four 3-pointers and led the team with six rebounds.
• Jalen Brown and Devonte Curry scored eight crucial points apiece. Brown also added a team-best four assists.
• Donovan Stone and Zahyem Bradwell each added nine points off the bench while Connor Bush contributed eight. 
• UNOH found themselves at the free throw line 25 times compared to 19 for Defiance. The Racers scored 20 points at the line.
• The Racers also flexed their muscles on the boards and outrebounded DC 48-30.

UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets travel to Lourdes on Saturday to play their fourth consecutive game on the road. Tipoff against the Gray Wolves is scheduled for 3 p.m. following the women's contest at 1 p.m.

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