Slow Start Dooms Lady Jackets in Match with Ohio Wesleyan

WILMINGTON, Ohio – A slow start forced the Lady Jackets to play catch-up for the entire game against Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon. The Battling Bishops used a 54-22 advantage on points in the paint to beat the Jackets, 76-63, marking DC's most lopsided loss of the season.

Ohio Wesleyan connected on 52.8 percent of its field goal attempts in the first half, and was perfect from the charity stripe, to put DC in a disadvantage at halftime despite scoring a season-high 35 first-half points on 40 percent shooting from the field. A 13-point deficit with 3:30 left in the opening period was whittled down to seven points at the break as DC went on a 12-6 run to close out the half. Kim Comden kept the Jackets in the game, recording nine points, three rebounds and two blocks in the opening half.

The Jackets hit four of their first-five field goals coming out of halftime, and a three-pointer by DC's Brooke Zachrich trimmed the deficit to three points with 16:42 remaining in the contest. However, the Battling Bishops continued their stellar shooting and built up a 12-point lead with eight minutes left. Defiance finally got some defensive stops, and went on an 8-2 run capped by a Molly Bateman three-pointer that put the game at 68-62 with 2:24 left on the clock, but the Bishops closed out the game strong to post a game-high 13-point lead as time expired.

Zachrich recorded nine points in the second half, and led the Jackets with 12 points, four assists and five rebounds for the game. Comden's three blocks in the contest represents a new career-high for the second-year center. One silver lining for Defiance was a 26-9 advantage over the Bishops on points off the bench.

Defiance will play its home-opener on Tuesday, November 23, when it hosts the No. 2 ranked Hope College Flying Dutch at 7:00 p.m. Hope is coming off a 76-32 thumping of Manchester College on Friday.