Defiance Makes Return to HCAC Championship Game

Anderson at Defiance HCAC Semifinal Box Score

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance racked up 95 points and led by as many as 23 points in the second half, as it advanced to the HCAC Tournament Championship with a 95-86 win over the fourth-seeded Anderson Ravens on Friday night.

The Yellow Jackets will play in the title game for the second-straight season when they take on the No. 2 seed Franklin Grizzlies (17-9) at 7:00 pm on Saturday. The winner will earn the HCAC’s automatic bid into the NCAA National Tournament starting on March 6.

Defiance has qualified for a national tournament 33 times in the history of its men’s basketball program, but has only accomplished the feat three times since making the transition from the NAIA into the NCAA. The last time came via the HCAC Championship team in 2001, when it outlasted Manchester, 104-97, to clinch the HCAC Tournament.

The Yellow Jackets were clicking on all cylinders from the opening tip and shot over 58 percent on the night. DC also topped 50 percent from beyond the arc and held an athletic Anderson team to 39.7-percent shooting.

Anthony Pettaway set the tone as the junior center led Defiance in scoring and rebounding for the eighth-straight game and became the 42nd player in DC history to eclipse 1,000 points for his career. Pettaway connected on 11-of-16 shots and ended with 23 points and 11 rebounds in 31 minutes. He now stands 41st on the DC scoring charts with 1,010 points.

Nick Sales and Bryan Post also turned in big games, as DC controlled the paint for the majority of the night. Sales notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards, while Post chipped in eight points.

Defiance was also on target from long distance, canning nine-of-17 attempts from the perimeter. Heath Armstrong and Anthony Jackson combined to make seven of their 10 attempts and ended with a collective 26 points.

C.J. Johnson tacked on 15 points to move to 15th all-time in DC history and is now the only player to rank among the top 15 in scoring and the top five in assists for a career.

Mike Floyd also put his name in the record books on Friday, as the sophomore point guard dished out 12 assists for a new career high. Floyd’s 12 helpers also set a new HCAC Tournament record for a single-game.

Defiance used a pair of short rallies to distance itself from Anderson, with the first coming midway through the opening stanza. Johnson followed a hoop from Pettaway with five-straight points as DC used a 7-0 spurt to open up a 22-14 lead.

The Jackets would cruise to a 46-34 lead at the break and add to it in the opening moments of the second half. DC started the final 20 minutes with a 6-0 rally to push the spread to 18 points and never looked back. The lead hovered between 14 and 19 points until a Nate Helton baseline jumper put DC up 23, at 76-53, with 9:21 to play.

Anderson finally mounted a rally and closed the gap to 13 points with 3:13 on the clock before beginning to put Defiance on the free throw line on a regular basis over the final three minutes. The strategy allowed the Ravens to get within six points as they continued to knock down shots, but never had enough time to put the game in serious jeopardy as DC took the 95-86 victory.

Defiance (19-7) will now face Franklin for the HCAC Tournament Championship on Saturday night at 7:00 pm. The Grizzlies advanced past Transylvania by a 60-53 margin in Friday’s 6:00 pm game.

DC split a pair of meetings with Franklin during the regular season, with each team winning on the other’s home court. Both sides shot over 48 percent during the two games, but Franklin held a distinct advantage from beyond the arc by shooting over 46 percent.

Fans can follow the action by watching the free webcast (high-speed internet connection needed), following live stats or listening to the DC or Franklin online radio broadcasts. All links can be found on the DC men’s basketball website.