Yellow Jackets Torch Bluffton, 90-71, Behind Hot Shooting

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance raced out to a 29-9 lead and never looked back, picking up a, 90-71, win against Bluffton and notching its first season sweep over the Beavers since the 2000-2001 campaign.

Defiance sank 12 of its first 15 attempts from the floor and piled up 29 points in the opening nine minutes of play, building up a 29-9 lead by the 11:00 mark of the first half. The rally was fueled by a 20-2 spurt from the Jackets in response to a BU hoop to open the game.

Bluffton trimmed the margin to 13 points at 22-9, but DC continued its onslaught by netting the game’s next nine points and opening up a 31-9 edge before pushing the spread to a game-high of 24 points at 35-11 on Anthony Pettaway’s sixth hoop in as many tries.

Pettaway would go on to connect on his first eight shots of the night, as he racked up 17 points and six boards in the opening stanza to lead Defiance to a commanding, 47-30, edge at the break.

An Anthony Jackson trey started the second stanza and gave the Jackets a 50-30 cushion. The spread would hover around 20 points for the remainder of the game, with the Beavers never getting any closer than 14 points for the entire second half.

It looked as if BU might try to mount one last rally in the closing minutes, pulling within 17 points with 1:56 showing on the clock, but Pettaway provided a resounding answer by throwing down a hard dunk to push the lead back to 19 and end any BU comeback hopes.

Defiance hammered the ball inside all night long, relentlessly pounding Bluffton for 54 points in the paint. DC also capitalized on 18 BU turnovers, by converting them into 27 points.

Pettaway was a force from the opening tip to the final buzzer, as he continually made the Beavers pay for their efforts to slow down C.J. Johnson. Pettaway scored a career high 28 points on 13-of-18 shooting and rounded out his fifth double-double of the year with 10 boards, three steals and a pair of blocks.

Mike Floyd also posted a season-high of 16 points and dished out six helpers to pace the DC offense, while Johnson tacked on 14 and Nate Helton added 10. Jackson also had a solid showing, as he hit a pair of treys to end the night with eight points and four assists.

Defiance took advantage of its ability to score inside by shooting over 58 percent in both halves and ending the night with a sizzling 58.5-percent clip from the floor.

The Yellow Jackets (14-5, 9-1 HCAC) will be going for their season best, fifth-straight win when they play at Mount St. Joseph (8-11, 2-8 HCAC) on Saturday.