Yellow Jackets handed home loss to Hanover on Senior Day

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Despite an inspired, hot-shooting start to the game to build an 11-point lead, the Defiance Yellow Jackets lost their senior day home finale to the Hanover Panthers by an 85-58 tally.

The Yellow Jackets (1-21, 0-16 HCAC) shot 50 percent and led for the majority of the first half before cooling off after halftime, but the Panthers (15-8, 11-5 HCAC) sank 67 percent of their shoot attempts after the break to storm back for the season sweep over DC.

Defiance honored seniors Devin Goodwyn, Sherod Brooks, and Will Garlock prior to the contest and all received starting nods in the game. Garlock had served as a student assistant coach for the last four seasons and was awarded the opportunity to dress and play in DC's final home game of the NCAA era.

TURNING POINT

The Yellow Jackets held a 24-13 lead with 9:14 left in the first half before the Panthers rallied to take the lead on a 20-4 run. Defiance committed seven turnovers and went 2-for-8 from the floor during the last half of the first while Hanover shot 6-for-9 from the field. Hanover's Ty Houston, the HCAC's top 3-point shooter in terms of percentage, knocked down a go-ahead trey from the left wing with 2:08 left in the half. He then hit another triple from the opposite side to break a 28-28 tie with 1:18 on the clock to highlight Houston's 12 points for the game.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Yellow Jackets fell behind 7-2 during the opening minutes and were 1-for-4 from the floor, but went on a tear by taking a 12-0 run into the 13:35 media timeout. The momentum continued to flow for the Yellow Jackets as 3-pointers by Brooks, Swanner and Goodwyn added up to five makes from outside the arc over the first 10:24 of the game. Defiance's 11-point advantage was fueled by 9-for-15 shooting with five 3-pointers, and the Yellow Jackets did not turn the ball over until the 10:40 mark of the first half.

Hanover started to eat into the Defiance lead while the Jackets were held to layups by Cam Martin and Devin Goodwyn over the final six minutes of the half. When the game reached halftime, each team made 11 field goals and five 3-pointers as the difference on the scoreboard was Hanover's 6-for-8 mark at the free throw line compared to DC's 1-for-2.

The Panthers started the second half with a strong burst that pushed Hanover to a double-digit lead for the first time in the game. Defiance cut the lead down to six points thanks to an Evan Park 3-pointer and a fadeaway jumper by Landen Swanner at the 15:16 mark. Park accounted for seven Defiance points during the first four minutes of the second half.

Hanover embarked on a lengthy scoring run of 26-10 that included an 11-0 spurt from 10:46 to 5:48. Hanover's defense locked down on the Yellow Jackets by not allowing a field goal during a 6:30 span of the half.

With Hanover leading handily in the final 90 seconds, Will Garlock was inserted back into the game after Brooks and Goodwyn exited the game. Garlock logged three shot attempts to close the game after playing through a scoreless minute to start the game.

At the close of the game, Hanover poured in 10 3-pointers and went 17-for-21 at the free throw line to help create 20 points of the final differential. The Panthers also forced double the turnovers to create seven more shot attempts than the Jackets.

BRINGING THE STING

• Sherod Brooks led DC with 18 points and hit five 3-pointers. The senior was a perfect 3-for-3 from the floor during the first half, all from outside the arc.
• Evan Park gave the Jackets a jolt off the bench with 15 points, his fourth performance in double figures for the season. The sophomore also secured a career-best eight rebounds and went 4-for-5 at the free throw line.
• Devin Goodwyn tallied nine points, seven of which were in the first half.
• Landen Swanner handed out six assists and scored seven points for the afternoon to land on 700 points for his career.

UP NEXT

The Yellow Jackets travel to Manchester on Tuesday night for the penultimate game of the 2023-24 season. Tipoff against the Spartans is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

-JACKETS-