Box Score
Accurate free throw shooting down the stretch, and a go-ahead basket with eight seconds to play in the game, enabled the host Defiance College Yellow Jackets to erase a late deficit and upend the Mount today, 66-64. The Lions, 7-14 overall, 3-11 in the HCAC, will be back in action on Feb. 8 when they play at conference-leader Transylvania University.
The Lions led at the intermission, 39-30, as both teams shot 50 percent or better from the field in the opening half. The Mount was aided by hitting five, three-point shots in the first half, out-rebounding the Yellow Jackets, 15-9 and only committing two turnovers while forcing six DC turnovers.
The Mount pushed its lead out to 12 points early in the second half, but Defiance began to chip away the remainder of the half, forcing the game's fifth tie, and first tie of the second half, with 11:50 to play, 46-all, after connecting on two free throws. The Mount then went on a 12-4 run to claim a 58-50 advantage at the 7:37 mark, as David Mann (Fairfield, OH/Cincinnati Christian ) hit two three-point shots in that stretch. They would hold that eight point lead again, 60-52, with 5:20 to play when Defiance went on a run of its own, tying the game at 61-all with 3:18 left in the game. Mann's three-pointer with 2:42 to play gave the Lions their last points, and last lead of the game, at 64-61. Defiance would hit three-of-four free throws down the stretch, and tie the game at 64-all with 58 seconds left in the game. After a missed Mount shot with 27 seconds left, the Yellow Jackets got possession of the ball and hit the go-ahead shot with eight seconds left. The Mount missed a game-winning three-point attempt at the buzzer.
Defiance shot a blistering 71 percent from the field in the second half, utlilizing a strong inside attack, and hit 13-of-19 second half free throws. The Lions made eight-of-26 second half shots. They did, however, win the rebounding battle, 25-22 for the game and committted just seven turnovers while Defiance had 12 turnovers.
Mann led the Mount with 20 points while teammates Andy Countryman (Peebles, OH/Peebles) and VJ Evans (Dayton, OH/Chaminade-Julienne) added 10 points each. Clifford Cass (Cincinnati, OH/Mt. Healthy) had five rebounds for the Lions.
