Lourdes pulls away Defiance in second half on Saturday

SYLVANIA, Ohio - The Defiance Yellow Jackets remained in reach before the Lourdes Gray Wolves pulled away late and secured a 79-68 victory at Russell J. Ebeid Recreation Center on Saturday.

The Yellow Jackets (7-14, 4-11 WHAC) have lost 5 of 7 but remain in the hunt for the WHAC Tournament with losses by Cleary and UM-Dearborn on Saturday. The Gray Wolves (17-6, 11-4 WHAC) have now won 5 of 6 to keep pace at three games behind with league-leading Indiana Tech.

Lourdes took early control of the first half with a 26-9 lead but the Yellow Jackets came alive after they started 3-for-13 from the floor. Over the last 7:30 of the first half, Defiance closed the gap to six before the break. Donovan Stone and Christian Burton ignited a 15-2 run for DC with back-to-back 3-pointers and that stretch of play trimmed the Gray Wolves' lead to four. After Lourdes extended the lead back out to double figures to start the second half, the Yellow Jackets responded again to fight back to within five points with nine minutes left.

THE TURNING POINT
After cutting the lead to 55-50, Lourdes pulled away from the Yellow Jackets with efficient offense and made DC pay for foul trouble. The Gray Wolves mounted a 14-4 run that led into the under-five-minute media timeout for a 69-54 lead. Lourdes already had the benefit of the bonus at the start of that four-minute stretch and went 8-for-8 at the free throw line in response to four Defiance fouls.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Defiance enjoyed another good performance shooting the basketball as a team, finishing 46 percent for the game. However, it was the first time this season that the Yellow Jackets were beaten when shooting 45 percent or better.
• Lourdes made 19 free throws while Defiance took 18 total shots at the charity stripe.
• Turnovers were nearly dead-even with DC committing one fewer than Lourdes (11-10).
• The Jackets used the 3-point shot well to keep the Gray Wolves within reach, making eight buckets from outside the arc compared to two 3-point makes by Lourdes.
• Donovan Stone led Defiance in scoring for the first time since Dec. 18. He posted 15 points and made three treys plus a team-high five rebounds.
• Jalen Brown scored 11 points as the only other Yellow Jacket in double figures. 
• Christian Burton dished out a game-high six assists to go with eight points.
• Evan Angstmann added eight points while Carter Sudhoff was held to seven points in 17 minutes due to dodging foul trouble.
• Facing the NAIA's leading scorer in Shaunn Monroe, the Lourdes senior scored a game-high 23 points and went 9-for-9 at the free throw line.

UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets return home on Wednesday after a four-game road swing. DC hosts Siena Heights for a men's and women's doubleheader starting at 5:30 p.m. with the men's contest tipping off second at approximately 7:30 p.m.

-JACKETS-