RICHMOND, Ind. – The Defiance College women's basketball program clinched its fourth-consecutive spot in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament on Wednesday evening in a 58-47 win at Earlham.

Erica King carried the Purple and Gold on the night, as the guard poured in a game-high 21 points while shooting over 50 percent from the field. The junior finished the night 8-14 from the floor, including 4-8 from beyond the arc. The 21-point effort was King's fourth performance of 20 or more points of the season and seventh of her career.

The Yellow Jackets controlled the game from start to finish, as Defiance never trailed throughout the 40 minutes of play. The game was only tied twice, with the last coming at the 10:33 mark in the first half with a score of 15-15.

DC managed to outscore the Quakers by six over the remaining 10 minutes and carried a 30-24 advantage into the break. The Yellow Jackets held Earlham to shooting just 8-36 from the field in the opener, including 2-9 from beyond the arc.

The Purple and Gold methodically built its lead to double figures in the second stanza, as a trey from King gave DC a 39-27 lead with 14:23 remaining in the contest.

The Quakers fought back and scored the game's next eight points to cut the deficit to four at 39-35, but that is as close as Earlham would get for the rest of the night.

The Yellow Jackets scored the next six points to end the Earlham threat and never looked back for the remainder of the game. The Jackets went on to win by a final score of 58-47.

The win over the Quakers completes the season sweep of Earlham. This season marks the third-consecutive year that Defiance has swept the season series. The Quakers are the third HCAC opponent to have been swept by the Yellow Jackets this season.

The Purple and Gold return home on Saturday, February 9 for its regular season home finale, as DC hosts Rose-Hulman in an HCAC clash. The game is set to begin at 1:00 p.m. Senior-day festivities will be held prior to the opening tip.