VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS / BOX SCORE
DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance College knocked down a season-high 11 makes from behind the three-point line and led by double figures over the final 18:28 of the contest in a 72-54 victory against Manchester on Wednesday night.
The win extended DC's home winning streak against Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference foes to eight-straight contests and moved the Yellow Jackets to within a single game of second place in the HCAC standings.
Defiance opened the game ice cold, missing 12 of its first 15 attempts from the field thanks to a one-of-nine start from three-point territory. The poor shooting allowed Manchester to build a 12-7 lead by the 12:25 mark of the opening half.
The Jackets then turned their focus to the paint, attacking the rim and hitting nine of their next 10 shot attempts and storming back to claim a 27-16 lead. The run would later continue for DC, as six-consecutive points capped a 26-6 spurt and pushed the Yellow Jacket spread to 33-18 with 2:13 left to play in the first stanza.
A 33-24 lead at the half would quickly climb to a 20-point cushion for Defiance, as the Purple and Gold found the range from deep in the second stanza. Three-straight trifectas from Travis Schomaeker, Bernard Edwards and Logan Wolfrum opened up a 49-29 gap.
Schomaeker would then strike again to turn back the lone Manchester (4-10, 1-6 HCAC) threat of the second half, connecting on his fourth trey of the stanza and sinking the ensuing free throw to give the Jackets a 62-47 lead with the four-point play.
Defiance would continue to hit from beyond the arc, eventually sinking eight-of-16 tries in the second half and rolling past the Spartans for the 72-54 triumph.
Schomaeker set a new career-high by netting 17 of his 19 points in the final 20 minutes, while Wolfrum also hit four triples and ended with a game-high 22 points to go along with five rebounds and three assists.
A pair of post players also cracked double-digits for the Jackets, as Edwards ended with 11 points and five boards, while Ryan Hicks chipped in 10 points, six rebounds and a pair of blocks.
DC (8-6, 4-3 HCAC) will now turn its attention to a home showdown with Mount St. Joseph (5-9, 4-3 HCAC) on Saturday. Tip is slated for 3:00 pm inside the Karl H. Weaner Community Center.