DEFIANCE, Ohio - The Defiance College Men's Basketball team picked up a 69-59 victory over Anderson University Wednesday night to snap the Yellow Jackets' (9-3, 4-1 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference) two-game losing skid and keep DC undefeated at home in conference play.
The Yellow Jackets found scoring all over the floor against the Ravens (1-11, 1-4 HCAC) with eight players contributing to the scoring column for DC, including three players in double figures. Defiance also picked off a season high 11 steals in the contest to help DC to its fourth conference win of the season.
Ryan Hicks (Port Clinton, Ohio/Port Clinton) led the way for the Yellow Jackets, scoring 22 points. It was his fifth 20+ point effort of the season and also extended his double-figure point streak to seven games. The senior picked up 12 of those points in the first half on 6-of-9 shooting. Hicks also had a pair of assists and steals in the half to help DC work 12-point halftime lead.
Bernard Edwards (Detroit, Mich./Warren Cousino) joined Hicks with 12 points in the first half and also pulled down six rebounds. Edwards went on to finish one rebound shy of a double-double, recording 19 points and nine rebounds in 33 minutes of action. Edwards' nine rebounds were a season-high for the junior.
Defiance slowly and methodically opened up the gap on Anderson in the first half by shooting 52 percent from the floor, while limiting the Ravens to 37 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes. The Yellow Jackets also forced seven Ravens turnovers on five steals while giving up just one turnover.
In the second half, the Yellow Jackets started with a 7-2 run to open up its largest lead of the game. At 17:27 remaining in the second half, Mason Roth's steal and fast break layup gave DC a 17-point lead at 46-29.
Roth (McComb, Ohio/McComb) was the third Yellow Jacket in double figures on the night, shooting 4-of-5 from the field with four more points from the free-throw line for 12 total on the evening. Roth also chipped in a pair of assists, steals and rebounds for the Purple and Gold.
Anderson was able to work the gap back to nine points with just over 30 seconds remaining in the game, but Defiance connected on its free throw opportunities late to seal the victory for DC.
The Yellow Jackets' bench combined for 11 points on the evening. Kent Tietje (Deshler, Ohio/Patrick Henry) was a dominant presence on the boards as well. Tietje broke his season and career highs with eight rebounds on the night to go along with six points in 23 minutes of action.
Noah Reed (Huntington, Ind./Huntington North) also came off the bench to score four points for DC.
Travis Schomaeker (Ottawa, Ohio/Ottawa-Glandorf) made just one three in the game for DC, but the junior contributed five assists on the evening to match a career high.
Wade Wooley (Wauseon, Ohio/Wauseon) grabbed five rebounds for DC in the game and the Yellow Jackets improved to 8-0 all-time in conference play when the sophomore reaches the five-rebound mark.
Wooley also had one of DC's three blocks in the game. Hicks had the other two blocks for Defiance.
The Yellow Jackets will now set their sights on Rose-Hulman in a clash of HCAC leaders as both teams sit at 9-3 overall, 4-1 in conference play. DC and Rose-Hulman will tip at 3 p.m. on Saturday in the second game of a double header inside the Karl H. Weaner Community Center.