Stucke's Jumper with Five Ticks Left Lifts DC to 69-67 Victory

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Lady Jackets trailed by three with 20 seconds left on the clock, but managed to score five unanswered points in the last 19 seconds to beat Anderson, 69-67, and claim their third-consecutive home victory. Defiance improves to 6-5 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference with the win.

Defiance struggled early to find its rhythm against the Ravens' defense, which came to Defiance ranked second in the HCAC, allowing just 58.1 points per game. But the Jackets' defense flexed some muscle of its own, forcing 23 turnovers in the game while allowing its lowest point total since Jan. 5.

The Lady Jackets had to feel good about their free throw shooting performance as well. The team shot 85 percent from the line, connecting on 17-of-20 shots, to finish 17 percentage points above its season average entering the game.   

Defiance trailed 2-8 after two and a half minutes of play before Brooke Zachrich hit a three-pointer that sparked a 10-2 run for Defiance, which ended with another three-pointer by Hanna Firchau to put DC ahead, 12-10, with 13:13 on the clock. Anderson answered with a run of its own, as forwards Ellen Thompson and Courtney Prater fueled an extended 17-6 spurt for the Ravens that saw Defiance trailing by nine with seven minutes left in the period. The Jackets trailed 31-23 with 4:45 left in the period before erupting for 16 points over the last four and a half minutes to claim a two-point advantage at halftime.

The second half was much tighter, with neither team leading by more than two points through the first eight minutes of action. A 51-51 tie at the 12:19 mark turned into an eight-point deficit with 9:13 remaining, as Prater sparked an eight-point run for the Ravens from the free throw line. However, much like the first half, Defiance finished the period strong and fought back to force the 12th tie of the game with 3:30 showing.

AU's Lauren Leisure hit a free throw to give the Ravens a three-point advantage with 34 seconds remaining, but Stucke drove through Anderson's defense for a layup with 18 seconds left to cut the deficit to one, and Kim Comden tied the game, 67-67, on a free throw with 13 seconds left.

Comden missed her second free throw, but Erica King flew through the lane to collect the offensive rebound, and was immediately fouled to force an inbounds play. Stucke's inbounds pass was stolen by Prater, but Firchau intercepted Prater's pass to reclaim possession for DC. Courtney Schmersal found Stucke for an open jumper on the baseline, and the senior point guard nailed the shot, forcing Anderson to take a desperation three-pointer at the buzzer that bounced harmlessly off the backboard.

The Yellow Jackets (8-10; 6-5) will play their next four games on the road, beginning on Saturday with a game at the league-leading Hanover Panthers (16-1; 10-1 HCAC).