Women’s basketball drops road game at Franklin

FRANKLIN, Ind.- The Defiance College women's basketball traveled to Franklin College on Friday night in the second week of Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play. The Yellow Jackets fell short to the Grizzles 61-47, despite a strong first quarter. 

Defiance posted a strong start to the contest as they jumped out to an early 19-15 lead after the first ten minutes of play. Head coach Allan King Jr. said, "We played pretty well tonight, but we definitely played our best basketball in that first quarter." King added, "We had some adversity to deal with, and I was proud of them for showing up and playing hard." 

Defensively, senior Kalyn Pickens and sophomore Nicole Sims set the tone for the Yellow Jackets. Pickens grabbed nine rebounds, including four offensive boards that led to six points. Sims tallied seven rebounds and also set the pace for the Yellow Jacket offense dishing out four assists and adding six points of her own. 

"Nicole is impossible to keep in front of you, and not being the biggest kid on the court, she played her hardest and set the tone tonight," said King. "Her and Kayln are starting to play together a bit more, and I think that will just make us more dynamic as we get going this season." 

Offensively, the Purple and Gold were led by sophomore Josi Wolf, who recorded 11 points, four rebounds, and one block. "Josi is a worker and came in this week and got some extra reps, and it showed in the game today," said King. " Our program is in good hands with kids like Josi, who when things don't go right, they put in the work to improve and help the team get better." 

As a team, the Yellow Jackets shot 31 percent (18-58) from the floor while the Grizzles finished at 35 percent (21-60). Defiance stayed within a few possessions of the home side most of the game, but Franklin was able to prevail. 

The loss brings the Defiance record to 0-3 on the season, and the Yellow Jackets will be back in action tomorrow night as they play host to the Grizzlies in the Karl H. Weaner Center. Tip-off is slated for 6:00 pm.