DEFIANCE, Ohio – Even though it was cold outside and the snow was falling, Defiance (7-0, 3-0 HCAC) continued its hot start to the season with a dominating 78-50 win over Transylvania University (2-5, 1-2 HCAC). With the win, DC tied the best start in 40 years.
Three players scored in double figures for the Yellow Jackets in the 28-point win, the second largest victory of the season.
Bernard Edwards (Detroit, Mich. / Warren Cousino) led DC in the scoring column with 18 points. Edwards has now scored in double figures for the past three games, the longest active streak for the Yellow Jackets. He had a very strong overall showing, with seven rebounds and a career-high five assists to add to his point total.
Ryan Hicks (Port Clinton, Ohio / Port Clinton), coming off a career high 39 last week, put in another strong game in the scoring column with 16. Travis Schomaeker (Ottawa, Ohio / Ottawa-Glandorf) rounded out the double-figure scorers for DC with 11. Schomaeker had two threes in the game, making DC's record 17-2 at home when he has hit at least one from beyond the arc in his career.
Transylvania started off quickly team, scoring the game's first four points. Wade Wooley (Wauseon, Ohio / Wauseon) who had eight points and seven rebounds, got the ball in the open court to score the first two points for the Yellow Jackets on an assists by Schomaeker.
After a missed three pointer from the Pioneers, Edwards was able to find an open Hicks for the easy lay in, to tie up the score with 17:16 to go in the first half. That would mark the last time Transy would own the lead.
DC would ride that run to a 7-4 lead before a Transy jumper put a stop to it. Then Schomaeker made his first of two threes with 15:35 to go, giving Defiance a 10-6 lead.
Schomaeker would make another three five minutes later. On the play, there was also a foul away from the ball. DC made the most of its double possession as Edwards hit a trey of his own making it a six point trip for the Yellow Jackets and extending the lead to 20-13.
Transy would go on a seven-point run of their own in a two minute span, capped off by a Parker Stansberry jumper. Stansberry had a game high 19 points to lead all scorers. With the shot, the Pioneers were able to tie it up at 20.
Edwards and the Yellow Jackets then got it going in a big way the last 6:14 of the half. In that time, they put together a 21-5 run. Edwards scored 12 of those 21, including a three point shot at the buzzer to give Defiance the 41-25 halftime lead.
The big three for Defiance picked up where they left off to start the second half. Edwards, Hicks, and Schomaeker were able to help DC put together a 15-11 run over the first eight minutes of the half. The three combined for 13 of the 15 points in the span, giving DC the 56-36 lead.
A three pointer from Mason Roth (McComb, Ohio / McComb) pushed the lead to 23 points with just over 11 minutes to go, dismissing any hopes of a Transy comeback.
With the game safely in hand, DC was able to get the bench some quality minutes. All starters for DC were subbed out with over four minutes left in the game. Davin Mangus (Leipsic, Ohio / Leipsic) and Shaquille Smith (Flint, Mich. / Flint Northern (Mott CC)) were a couple of those players who made the most of those minutes. They ended the game with eight points and four points, respectively.
With Smith's layup at the 1:14 mark, DC saw its largest lead of the night with a 76-47, 29 point lead before eventually win by 28 points, 78-50.
A big test waits for DC after Christmas, as they will travel to Rochester, Mich. to play NCAA Division I opponent, Oakland (2-9). Though not an outstanding record, the Grizzlies have faced teams like Michigan State, North Carolina, UCLA, and Gonzaga already this season.
The game is set for a 7 p.m. start on December 27.