HANOVER, Ind. – Manchester avenged its first-round loss to Defiance in last season's conference tournament by coming from 17 points behind to top the Jackets, 74-62, in the HCAC Tournament Quarterfinals on Friday evening. Defiance ends the season with a 12-14 overall record.
Defiance's normally explosive offense was held in check for much of the first half. The Spartans jumped out to an early 10-4 lead after four minutes of play, and after a Tasha Stucke three-pointer cut DC's deficit to three, the Jackets missed their next ten field goal attempts before Erica King broke the drought with a three-pointer at the 11:13 mark. King's long ball brought Defiance within four points and sparked an 8-0 run that ended with DC's first lead of the game, a one-point edge, with 9:12 left in the half.
The two squads were locked at 20 points apiece with 4:20 showing when King broke the tie with another trifecta, this time initializing an extended 11-2 run for the Yellow Jackets. The freshman guard showed no hesitation in her first collegiate conference tournament, and ended the period with a running floater in the paint that gave Defiance a 31-22 lead at halftime. King wasn't DC's only freshman to make an impact in the opening period, as Hannah Harshman led the game with seven rebounds at the break, including three on the offensive end.
After a Brooke Zachrich layup gave Defiance its first double-digit lead 15 seconds into the second period, Molly Bateman got it going from deep, hitting a pair of three-pointers on DC's next two possession that pushed DC's lead to a game-high 17 points. The sharp shooting was contagious, however, as the Spartans hit three long balls in the next two and a half minutes to cut the lead back to ten.
DC's Alexis Pierce answered with a three of her own to put Defiance back ahead by 13, but it would be the Jackets' last field goal for the next four minutes, as the Spartans scored 13 unanswered points to take a three-point lead with 10:15 left. King ended the slump with a layup at the 10:05 mark, and Stucke would score DC's next seven points, converting a pair of layups on the next two possessions before knocking down a three-pointer to give Defiance a 53-49 advantage with 7:18 remaining.
The Lady Jackets would end the game much like they started it, however, and hit just two of their last 11 shots from the field as the Spartans closed the game on an extended 23-7 run. Manchester tacked on 20 points in the last five and a half minutes as they repeatedly earned trips to the free throw line. The Spartans took a season-high 47 shots from the charity stripe, converting on 36, as they shot at a 76.6 percent clip from the line.
Erica King led all scorers with 17 points on seven-of-15 shooting, while Brooke Zachrich added eight points and six rebounds. Manchester shot just 26.6 percent from the field in the game, but claimed a 26-point advantage from the charity stripe as DC went just 10-of-13 from the line.
Manchester will play at number one seed, Hanover College, tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. in the HCAC Tournament Semifinals. Defiance's season ends with a 12-14 overall record, and a 10-8 mark in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.