DEFIANCE, Ohio – Sophomore Erica King scored 20 points to lead the Defiance College women's basketball team to a 71-55 victory over Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference rival Mount St. Joseph on Saturday.
Defiance opened the game with an 8-3 run over the first six minutes and 12 seconds. DC grabbed the early lead on a layup by sophomore Kim Bingley and back-to-back three-pointers by junior Rachel Ciminillo.
Mount St. Joseph stormed back to grab an 11-10 lead at the 11:05 mark, but it was the last time the visitors would see the lead. The Yellow Jackets used a 26-5 run to break open the game. DC held a 20-point advantage twice during the first half, and went into the break with the lead, 43-24. King scored 11 points in the opening frame, and junior Kim Comden added 10 points for the Yellow Jackets.
The hosts pushed the lead to 21 points, 53-32, with 14:30 remaining in the game. Shooting woes plagued Defiance over the next few minutes, as the Lions used a 12-1 run to bring the Defiance lead down to ten points, 54-34.
After the advantage was cut to ten points, the Purple and Gold kicked it up a notch, and went on a 9-2 run to end any hopes of a Mount St. Joseph comeback. A jumper by King put the Yellow Jackets up by 19 points, 71-52, with 1:30 on the clock. The Yellow Jackets slowed down the pace in the final moments and cruised to the win.
King scored her 20 points on six-of-11 shooting from the floor and a perfect five-of-five at the charity stripe. Comden finished with 14 points and four rebounds in 21 minutes of action, while senior Brooke Zachrich and sophomore Hannah Harshman narrowly missed double figures with nine points apiece.
The stingy DC defense collected 11 steals and forced the Lions in 17 total turnovers.
Mount St. Joseph was paced by 24 points from Katie Jo Collins.
With the win, Defiance improves to 9-12 overall and 7-7 in the conference. The Lions fall to 3-18 overall and 3-11 in the league.
The Yellow Jackets return to action on Wednesday, February 8 against HCAC foe Earlham. Tip-off will be at 7:30 in the Karl H. Weaner Center and can be viewed live on the Yellow Jackets Sports Network at www.defianceathletics.com/video/.