DEFIANCE, Ohio - The Spartans downed the Defiance College Yellow Jackets 81-67 on Wednesday, February 1. Manchester men's basketball, winners of 6 straight games, improve to 12-8, 10-3 HCAC. 

The Spartans jumped out to an early lead, going on a 6-0 run in the opening half of Wednesday's contest. Manchester would extend their lead to 8 points with 12:06 on the clock, but Defiance would answer, tying the game up at 16 with 7:23 left to play in the first half. The Black and Gold would outscore Defiance 34-30 to take the 4-point lead at halftime. 

Manchester's strong start to the second half of play gave them an 11-point lead with 15:13 on the clock. Defiance would battle back, bringing the game within 3 points, but the Spartans would outscore the Yellow Jackets 47-37 in the second half to win Wednesday's game 81-67. 

Ty Lynas (Crawfordsville, Ind., Crawfordsville) led the Black and Gold with 27 points, shooting 9-19 from the field and 9-11 from the free throw line. Bryant Smith (West Lafayette, Ind., Harrison) added 17 points and 3 steals during Wednesday's game. Mitch Mendenhall (New Haven, Ind., Woodlan) chipped in 12 points and 8 rebounds, while Logan Willoughby (Greenwood, Ind., Whiteland Community) added 10 points for the Spartans. Coy Hampton (Park Forest, Ill., Crete Monee) finished the evening with 2 blocks and 3 steals. The Spartans shot 43.3% from the field and 82.9% from the free throw line. 

Landen Swanner led the Yellow Jackets with 18 points. Marell Jordan added 17 points and 7 assists for Defiance, while Te Jones and Jabryis Heidelburg chipped in 12 points apiece. Jones also finished the night with 4 steals. Cole Wojciechowski added 2 blocks. As a team, the Yellow Jackets shot 41.0% from the field and 66.7% from the free throw line. Defiance fell to 6-14, 1-12 HCAC following the loss. 

Up next, Manchester men's and women's basketball will host Mount St. Joseph in Stauffer-Wolfe Arena on Saturday, February 4. Saturday's game will be a Gray Out to support brain tumor/cancer awareness. A flyer with more information for Saturday's Gray Out games can be found here.