WBB Preview: Women’s basketball heads to Hanover on Saturday

DEFIANCE, Ohio — The Defiance College women's basketball team travels to Hanover on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tipoff. 

Last season, the Yellow Jackets (1-4, 0-2 HCAC) won both meetings against the Panthers (5-2, 2-0 HCAC) that included a home victory in overtime. DC leads the all-time series against Hanover, 23-22.

The Yellow Jackets are looking to break a two-game collar following seven-point defeats in each of their first Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference games. Most recently was a heartbreaking home loss to Franklin in which Defiance was outscored 15-4 in the fourth quarter without making a field goal after taking a four-point lead into the final period. Hanover enters Saturday's meeting riding a three-game winning streak that has included conference victories over Anderson and Bluffton.

Defiance ranks eighth in scoring among HCAC teams at 58.2 points per game by shooting 34.7 percent from the field and has made the fewest 3-pointers in the conference. Defensive marks are better with the Jackets posted third in turnover margin at +4.60 per game, third-highest in the league. Defiance is also the top free throw shooting team through the first month of the year at 73.6 percent. 

Hanover is mid-pack in the HCAC's scoring rankings at 64.6 points per game and 36 percent shooting from the floor, both sixth-best. The Panthers are also not habitual outside shooters with 4.3 3-point makes per game, slightly better than Defiance's four makes per game. Hanover is one of the better rebounding teams in the conference at 43 per game, the third-highest average in the HCAC. 

Individually, Hanover's Grace Bezold is second in the HCAC at 19 points per game and 9.4 rebounds per contest. Defiance is led by Taylor Day's 11.2 scoring average and Taylor Steinbrunner at 10.6 points per game. That duo also leads Defiance in rebounding at nearly five per game each. McKenzie Cooper has provided a boost for DC off the bench with 20 total points in two games last week. Defiance has also witnessed recent scoring bursts by Lauren Criblez (15 vs. Manchester) and Lexie Sparks (12 vs. Franklin).

Live video and stats of Saturday's matchup are available here.

-JACKETS-