Beavers blown out by Yellow Jackets on Senior Day
Nick Williams, Assistant SID

DEFIANCE, Ohio – On a day where Defiance College its Yellow Jacket seniors Curt Croy and Matt Laudick, the two left their mark with a 82-54 win over rival Bluffton University Wednesday evening.

With a packed house full of fans on both sides, the Weaner Center roared at a fever pitch that would match any rivalry week game shown on ESPN. With the gym filled with energy, both teams fed off of the energy displayed by the crowd, as the game was neck-and-neck throughout the first half. DC’s C.J. Johnson stole the show in the beginning, scoring nine of first 11 Yellow Jacket points. The Jackets held a 19-12 lead halfway through the first period, but Bluffton would cut it to only on with seven left in the half. The Jackets would slowly pull away, making it a five-point advantage going into the half.

In the second half, the story was all about the two Yellow Jacket seniors, who stepped up their game in their last half of play at home. Over a 10-minute stretch that began the second half, Defiance saw its lead balloon from five to 28. At the 8:48 mark, DC held a 66-38 advantage, with 20 of DC’s first 33 points of the half scored by the two four-year veterans. By that point, DC would not trail by less than 27 en route to the victory. With under two minutes remaining, Croy and Laudick were subbed out of the game, receiving a rousing ovation by the DC faithful for their contribution to the program.

Croy, who scored 18 points in the second half, finished the game with 20 points, going 8-of-14 from the field and 4-of-5 from downtown. Laudick came one rebound shy of a double-double, finishing his last home game with 16 points (10 in the second half), nine rebounds, and two blocks. Johnson dropped 20 while grabbing seven boards.

Bluffton’s Justin Rufenacht put up a double-double, scoring 16 and grabbing 10 rebounds.

DC (9-14, 2-11 HCAC) travels to Kentucky to play its final game of the regular season against Transylvania University Saturday at 3:00 p.m. Bluffton (16-8, 6-7 HCAC) goes on the road to take on Manchester Saturday at 3:00 p.m.