ANDERSON, Ind. – Defiance College placed four players in double figures but was no match for the interior strength of Anderson on Wednesday evening, falling by an 82-72 margin to the Ravens.

The host Anderson squad took the lead for good at 6-5 and stayed in front over the final 37:22 of action, leading by as many as 21 points in the second half. Defiance closed the game on a 17-6 spurt over the final 6:14 of action but fell short in its comeback bid.

Anderson (9-9, 5-6 HCAC) had its way in the paint, pulling down 18 offensive rebounds en route to a 31-13 gap in second-chance points in the contest. For the game, DC was beaten on the boards by a 45-26 mark.

Another key disparity came at the free throw line, where Defiance did not attempt a free throw until the 7:08 mark of the final period and ended the game with only two makes from the charity stripe. The host squad countered by getting to the line 20 times in the game and connecting on 18 of those tries for a 16-point spread.

Ryan Hicks turned in one of his finest performances of the year in the losing effort, ending with 12 points, nine rebounds, three blocks, a pair of steals and one assist in 29 minutes of work. Other contributors included Logan Wolfrum's 15 points, five assists, two blocks and two steals and Anthony Brown, who chipped in 14 points and four boards.

Defiance (7-11, 3-8 HCAC) will head to Lexington, Ky., on Saturday to tangle with the league-leading Transylvania Pioneers (16-2, 10-1 HCAC) in a 3:00 pm tip.