DEFIANCE, Ohio - The Manchester women's basketball team opened conference play on the road against Defiance College on Wednesday, November 30th. The Black and Gold defeated the Yellow Jackets 80-73. 

Defiance held a first quarter lead after trailing 9-5 to start the game. After trailing 20-16 going into the second quarter, MU would take the lead at halftime thanks to an 13-7 rally, putting the Spartans up 37-36. 

The Yellow Jackets and Spartans would continue to battle it out in the second half after Defiance grabbed a five-point lead in the third quarter. Manchester would answer, regaining the lead 58-54 entering into the fourth quarter. The Spartans pulled away by as many as 11 points with just over two minutes remaining in the game. Defiance would close the gap, but Manchester was able to hang on to the 80-73 victory. 

First-Year Hailee Kline (Huntington, Ind., Blackhawk Christian) led the Spartans with 17 points. Fellow First-Year Jessie Ringen (Rensselaer, Ind., Rensselaer Central) chipped in 13 points and 7 rebounds, while Bridget Nash (Carmel, Ind., Bishop Chatard) added 12 points and Mia Shields (Arcadia, Ind., Hamilton Heights) added 11 points for the Black and Gold. As a team, MU collected 9 steals and shot 50.0% from two-point range. The Spartans also shot 43.3% (13-30) from beyond the three-point arc and 63.0% (17-27) from the free throw line. Manchester improves to 4-2, 1-0 HCAC with the win. 

Lauren Criblez led Defiance with 15 points during Wednesday night's contest. Taylor Steinbrunner, Kalista Friday, Taylor Day each chipped in 11 points for the Yellow Jackets. Steinbrunner also had a team-high 8 assists while also adding 3 steals on the night for Defiance. As a team, the Yellow Jackets shot 43.3% from field goal range and 76.9% from the free throw line. Following Wednesday night's loss, Defiance falls to 1-3,0-1 HCAC. 

Up next, the Manchester men's and women's basketball teams will head to Richmond, Indiana to take on the Earlham Quakers for an HCAC double-header. Tip-off for the women's game is set for 1:00 p.m. with the men to follow at 3:00 p.m.