Women's Basketball notches big road HCAC win at Hanover

The Defiance women's basketball team notched a big road Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference win at Hanover on Saturday afternoon, 69-63. This marks their fourth straight HCAC victory.

The Basics

• Records: Defiance (11-6, 6-4), Mount St. Joseph (8-9, 5-7)
• Location: John Collier Arena – Hanover, Indiana
• Attendance: 198

Inside The Numbers

• Junior Lexie Sparks led the Yellow Jackets with 15 points off the bench.
• Sophomore McKenzie Cooper added 14 points from the bench as well.
• Senior Taylor Day contributed 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
• Senior Briawna Francis and junior Kylie Brinkman each chipped in eight points for Defiance.
• As a team, the Yellow Jackets went 22-of-58 (.379) from the floor and shot 3-of-13 (.231) from the three-point line.
• Taylor Heath led Hanover with a game-high 22 points.
• As a team, the Panthers shot 24-of-73 (.329) from the field and went 2-of-13 (.154) from behind the arc.

The Difference

• Both teams battled back-and-forth in the first quarter and saw both squads tied at 14 heading into the second quarter.
• The Yellow Jackets grabbed their first lead of the game at 16-14 in the first few minutes of the second quarter.
• Defiance held onto their lead for the rest of the first half and took a slim 30-27 advantage into halftime.
• Both teams traded leads for most of the third quarter, but saw Defiance come out with a 49-42 lead heading into the all important fourth quarter.
• Hanover battled back to take a 54-53 lead with a little over three minutes left in the game.
• With the score 56-55 in favor of the Panthers, Cooper drilled a big three-point basket to help Defiance reclaim the lead at 58-56 with less than three minutes remaining.
• Clutch free throws down the stretch helped the Yellow Jackets hold onto the victory, 69-63.
• Defiance held an advantage in rebounds, 48-39.
• The Yellow Jackets nearly went perfect at the free-throw line going 22-of-23 (.957).
• Both teams each scored 28 points in the paint during the contest.
• Defiance's bench came to play holding a massive 39-3 advantage in bench points.

Up Next

• The Yellow Jackets next return to home action when they take on HCAC foe Manchester on Wednesday, February 2. Tip-off set for 7:30 p.m.