Lady Jackets Conquer the Spartans

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Lady Jackets overcame an early deficit to claim a 61-48 victory over Manchester College on Wednesday, December 9. With the win, Defiance improves to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.

The Spartans scored eight unanswered points to start the game as they capitalized on some early turnovers by the Lady Jackets. However, the turnovers started to go the other way as the Lady Jackets crept back into the game before eventually taking a two-point lead at the 10:54 mark. Balanced scoring and 11 first-half steals fueled the Jackets' rally as they took a five-point advantage going into the break.

The Spartans' turnovers continued and the Lady Jackets' offense got rolling in a second half that saw Defiance build its lead to as much as 19 points. Senior center Mandie White had her best game of the season, pulling down 12 rebounds and scoring 15 points as she shot six-of-seven from the field. Shavonda Price was the Jackets' second leading scorer, recording 16 points, including 12 points in the second half.

Tasha Stucke contributed seven points and four assists, but it was her defensive pressure that made the biggest impact. Stucke recorded six of the Jacket's 19 steals and now has 105 steals in her career at Defiance. White and Price both tallied four steals on the night for the Jackets.

The game marks the end of a three-game homestand for the Lady Jackets who are set to travel to Hanover, Ind., for an HCAC clash with the Panthers of Hanover College (4-2, 0-2 HCAC) on Saturday, December 12. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.