Jackets Crush the Quakers, 100-83, Improve to 4-3 in the HCAC

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Yellow Jackets reached the century mark for the second time this season, and won their fourth game in five chances as they crushed the Quakers of Earlham College, 100-83, on Wednesday night. Defiance is now 4-3 in the HCAC.  

Nine of DC's first ten shots found the bottom of the net as the Lady Jackets jumped out to a 23-7 lead less than six and a half minutes into the opening period. The hot shooting did not stop there, as the team finished the half with 56 points, on 63.6 percent shooting from the field, before going into the break with an 18-point advantage.

Tasha Stucke was well on the way to a career night when she was taken out to catch a breather with 2:46 left in the first half, having accumulated 13 points, four assists and two steals in just 12 minutes of action. The normally pass-first point guard was finding shots of her own, and went five-of-five from the field in the half, including three-of-three from downtown.

The offensive outburst continued in the second half as DC tacked on 45 more points to finish in triple digits for the second time in its last six games. Stucke was the high-scorer in the second half as well, as she added 12 more points on her way to a game-high and career-high 25 points on eight-of-nine shooting in just 24 minutes.

Defiance's collective 55.4 percent shooting from the field was its best since December of 2004, when the team shot 60 percent in a win over Muskingum. The 17-point margin of victory matched the Lady Jackets' season-high, and their 25 assists were the most since the 2007-08 season.

Erica King contributed 13 points, six rebounds and four assists in the game, while Kim Comden recorded nine points, seven boards and two blocks.

The Lady Jackets will face Franklin College (10-4, 4-3 HCAC) on Saturday, Jan. 15, with the tip-off set for 2:00 p.m. A win for DC would make it three in a row, and be its fifth in its last six games.