Women's basketball splits season series with Earlham after road defeat

RICHMOND, Ind. – The Defiance College women's basketball team made the southern trip to Earlham College on Wednesday afternoon for a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference matchup. An ever-changing battle of momentum saw DC fall to the Quakers 64-58.

"It was an up-and-down evening for us tonight," said Head Coach Allan King, Jr. "If we can just put together four full quarters, we will be a pretty tough team."

A slow start from the Yellow Jacket offense allowed the hosts to shoot their way to the largest lead of the contest, 19 points, with just over one minute left in the first half. A pair of layups from Nicole Sims (Camden/Preble Shawnee) and Kalyn Pickens (Ft. Wayne, Ind./R. Nelson Snider) brought the score to a 37-22 Quaker lead as the sides entered the break.  

Despite the deficit at the half, Coach King's side came out of the locker room looking to cut into the host's lead. Behind a 50 percent (8-16) mark from the field, the Yellow Jackets posted a game-high 23 points in the third period, cutting the Quaker to lead to just seven.

DC ultimately outscored Earlham in the fourth but was unable to close the gap as the hosts prevailed, splitting the regular-season series between the two sides.

As a team, the Purple and Gold outshot Earlham from the field and from beyond the arc as they went 23-of-47 (48.9%) and 3-of-8 (37.5%), respectively. DC dominated the boards, reeling in 41 rebounds, including a team-best ten from Taylor Day (West Mansfield/North Union). Turnovers stung the Yellow Jackets in the long run as Defiance totaled 41 to Earlham's 26.

Tacking a team-high 12 points onto her ten rebounds, Day finished the night with her first double-double of the season. Pickens followed Day with 11 points of her own.

Sims posted a team-high 35 minutes on the floor for the Purple and Gold. "Nicole shined again tonight," said King of the freshman. "She has really turned the corner and is becoming an excellent player," concluded King. Sims finished her night with seven points, six assists, and two rebounds.

The Yellow Jackets fall to 7-15 on the season, and 6-9 in HCAC play after the defeat. DC currently sits in fifth in the conference standings three games remaining.

Defiance will continue their push for postseason action on Saturday as they host Rose-Hulman at 1:00 pm. The contest will serve as Senior Day as Defiance will honor Liz Martin (Bellefontaine/Bellefontaine) and Danielle Carruthers (New London/New London).