Second Half Woes Hurt Jackets

CINCINNATI, Ohio – Defiance could not withstand a strong second half by Mount St. Joseph, dropping a 72-57 decision on Wednesday, January 14.  The Jackets, who are now 5-5 on the road this season, fall to 2-5 in the HCAC.

Mount St. Joseph jumped out to an early 8-5 lead, behind six of Kat O'Neill's game-high 22 points. Their early advantage was short-lived, as Brooke Zachrich's trifecta capped DC's 16-5 run over the next four minutes to put the Jackets out in front, 21-13.

Defiance was able to grab its largest lead of the game five minutes later, as Katie McNamara and Holly Stein hit back-to-back three-pointers to help DC claim a 32-21 advantage. O'Neill hit a jumper with four ticks left in the opening period to cut DC's lead to nine, 32-23, heading into the break. The Jackets forced 15 turnovers in the first half, converting those mishaps into 12 points.

Mount St. Joseph climbed back into the game in the first five minutes of the second half, as Megan Smith connected from downtown to finish off an 11-2 spurt that knotted the contest at 34-34. Jenna Deskins hit consecutive treys to put Defiance back in front, 40-39, but the Lions would take over from there with a 33-17 stretch to close out the game.

Mount St. Joseph knocked down 67.7 percent of their field goal attempts in the final stanza, while limiting DC to just 18.8 percent shooting from the field in the period. The Jackets were able to force in 26 turnovers in the contest, but were outscored 36-8 in the paint.

Stein led Defiance with 13 points and 12 caroms, pulling down eight of DC's 17 offensive rebounds in the game. Stein recorded her second double-double of the season, as the team has tallied nine on the year.

Courtney Schmersal got all nine of her points from beyond the arc, accounting for three of DC's nine treys. The Jackets entered the contest ranked 15th in the nation with seven three-point field goals per game.  Deskins added eight points off the bench, while Tasha Stucke finished with five assists and five steals.

Defiance will host Franklin College on Saturday, January 17. The Jackets are set to tip-off at 2:00 p.m., opening up a HCAC doubleheader.