Defiance Rides Defense to First Conference Victory

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Lady Jackets used tenacious defense on Saturday, December 5, to defeat the Rose-Hulman Engineers 69-45 at the Karl H. Weaner Center. With the victory, Defiance improves to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in conference competition.

The Jackets got out to a quick start, claiming an 11-0 lead just four minutes into the first half thanks in large part to the hot shooting from Courtney Schmersal. The lead continued to expand as the Jackets put up their strongest defensive effort of the season, forcing 20 first-half turnovers to claim a 16-point lead going into halftime.  

As the second half got underway, two quick buckets helped the Engineer climb to within 14, but that was as close as they would get. From that point, the Jackets went on a 13-0 run that resulted in a comfortable 27 point lead with 14:09 left on the clock. The Jackets' defense forced a season-high 33 turnovers on the day while allowing only 15 field goals as they coasted to a 24-point victory.

Schmersal tied her own Defiance College single-game record with seven three-pointers on her way to a game high 21 points. Mandie White posted an efficient 10 points on 5-7 shooting to go along with four rebounds and three steals. Freshman guard Nia Banks contributed a season-high three points and one steal in just eight minutes of play.  

The Lady Jackets will return to action on Wednesday, December 9, when they host conference opponent Manchester College at the Karl H. Weaner Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.