Jackets Fall to Transylvania in HCAC Tournament

FRANKLIN, Ind. – The Defiance College women's basketball team fell in the quarterfinals of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament to Transylvania, 57-42, on Friday. Sophomore Erica King led the Jackets with 11 points.

Transylvania jumped out to the first lead of the game, 8-2, after a quick run over the first two minutes. After a time out by Defiance, the Yellow Jackets regrouped and grabbed the lead, 13-10, with an 11-2 run. Sophomore Kim Bingley started the run by splitting a pair of free throws and then hitting a layup on the next possession. Back-to-back treys by junior Rachel Ciminillo and King gave the Jackets a boost during the run.

Defiance built a 17-13 lead at the 12:23 mark in the first half after King followed up her three-pointer with a driving bucket in the lane and two jumpers. King scored nine straight points on four-of-four shooting from 16:24 to 12:23 to give the Jackets the advantage. Transylvania retook the lead, 18-17 at 10:58, but a layup by junior Kim Comden put DC back on top, 19-18.

The Pioneers grabbed the momentum at the 10:03 mark, and outscored the Jackets 12-6 to build a 31-26 lead with four minutes remaining in the first frame. The first half ended with Transylvania leading, 34-26.

The second half started with Transylvania on a 7-0 run to bring their lead to 15 points, 41-26. A jumper by sophomore Hannah Harshman ended the run. The Pioneers quickly got back into a groove and led by as many as 19 points, 47-28, with 14:03 left in the game.

DC brought the lead down to 13 points, 51-39, with 5:58 on the clock after a layup by senior Brooke Zachrich and a split set of free throws by Comden.

King finished the night on four-of-16 shooting. Harshman ended the night with eight points and nine rebounds to barely miss a double-double.

The game marked the final contest for Zachrich. She ended the game with six points, four rebounds and two assists.

The Yellow Jackets were limited to just 26.6 percent shooting from the floor, but held an advantage in rebounding, 42-40. The defense forced Transylvania into 22 turnovers.

With the loss, Defiance falls to 11-15 overall, while Transylvania moves to 14-12. The Pioneers, who will play Franklin in the semifinals, were led by 22 points from Nicole Coffman.

DC will return to action next winter with hopes of return to the HCAC Tournament and making a run at the title.