Another late lead slips away from Yellow Jackets in loss to Earlham

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance College was outscored by Earlham, 23-13, in the fourth quarter resulting in the team's fifth straight loss with a 56-50 final score on Wednesday night at the Weaner Center.

The Yellow Jackets (6-10, 1-7 HCAC) led 50-47 with 2:56 left in the game and did not score again as the Quakers (2-13, 1-7 HCAC) rallied to snap an eight-game losing streak for their first win since November 30. While free throws extended the late advantage for Earlham, a go-ahead layup by Bailey Gibson off an offensive rebound put the Quakers on top for good with 57 seconds on the clock. Gibson missed the and-one opportunity after being fouled in the process. Janaiya Bright turned a passing error by Defiance into a layup for the game's final field goal and a three-point lead in the final minute.

Defiance started the fourth quarter with a four-point lead and Taylor Day knocked down a 3-pointer to open the period to increase the advantage to seven, which was the game's largest lead. Zadria King answered an Earlham bucket with one for DC, but the Quakers hit a 3-pointer in response before starting to make up ground at the free throw line. Twelve of the Quakers' final 23 points were scored at the charity stripe.

Both teams started slow and the first quarter ended in a 6-6 tie. Defiance led 6-2 but did not score again until the 9:29 mark of the second period when Ali Mowen hit a corner 3-pointer. Earlham built a 16-9 lead during that cold snap until the Yellow Jackets got rolling. 

DC finished the first half on an 11-4 run ignited by a 3-point basket after an offensive rebound by Addy Allen with 4:15 before the half. Earlham hit back with a layup, but McKenzie Cooper was found by Kylie Brinkman on a backdoor cut to get the Yellow Jackets back to within four. Kalista Friday got in on the action with a steal on the other end of the floor to get the ball back which then led to her hitting a 3-pointer on the next possession to bring the score to 18-17 Earlham. King tied the game at 18 on a free throw with 34 seconds left. Allen struck again when she shook her defender from the right wing for an open layup with under 10 seconds on the clock to put DC on top on their way to the locker room.

The Yellow Jackets continued to hold the upper hand in the third with Friday, Cooper and King combining on 13 of the team's 17 points in the quarter.

Freshmen Allen and King each accounted for seven points, both single-game bests in their young careers. Defiance did not have a player reach double figures and was led by Day with nine points despite playing under 20 minutes. Friday and Cooper each tallied eight points for Defiance. Day and King each ripped down five rebounds apiece while Nicole Sims swiped four steals. Earlham was led by three players scoring 11 points while Gibson scored 10. Bright, Amari Bradford and Willow Runyon all scored 11 points, including 7-for-7 at the free throw line for Runyon.

Defiance shot 32 percent from the field and turned the ball over a season-high 23 times while Earlham committed 25 turnovers and shot 37 percent, including just 2-for-21 from 3-point range. The Quakers shot 16-for-22 at the free throw line while Defiance took just 13 attempts, making nine.

The Yellow Jackets return to the floor on Saturday with a trip to Franklin. Tipoff at the Spurlock Center is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be followed by the men's matchup at 3 p.m.

-JACKETS-