Jackets Move to 3-1 in HCAC with 81-72 Win Over Hanover

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Nick Sales netted a career-high 25 points and C.J. Johnson flirted with a triple-double, filling up the stat sheet with 14 points, eight assists and six rebounds as Defiance completed an early season wave of HCAC action with an 81-72 victory against Hanover on Saturday afternoon inside the Weaner Community Center.

The win improves the Yellow Jackets to 5-2 overall and moves them into sole possession of second place in the Heartland Conference.

The game was played at a rapid pace for the full 40 minutes with the largest lead for either side coming in the nine-point spread at the final horn. Prior to the final minute, the largest lead of the second half was a five-point Defiance advantage in a game which featured 12 ties and seven lead changes.

DC wasted little time erasing a 43-42 halftime deficit as a Sales layup was followed by a triple from Anthony Jackson, swinging the score in favor of the Jackets at 47-43.

Hanover bounced back with an 8-0 run to reclaim the lead at 51-47, but the Jackets continued to fight and scored 15 of the game’s next 21 points for the 62-57 advantage with 9:53 left in the game.

The spread was four points or less from that point on, but seemingly began to swing in favor of the Panthers as HC clawed its way back in front at 71-68 with just over three minutes to play.

It was all DC from that point on as Johnson trimmed the gap to a single point with a layup and set up the game-changing possession with a defensive rebound on the other end.

Jackson was fouled on Defiance’s ensuing possession and knotted the score at 71-71 with a free throw but missed the second, only to have Anthony Pettaway pull down the offensive board and hit Mike Floyd at the top of the arc. The freshman point guard stepped up and knocked down a 23 footer to put DC in front at 74-71 with 1:56 remaining in the game.

The Jackets held on from there, icing the game at the charity stripe and capping the 81-72 win by outscoring the Panthers by a 13-1 margin over the game’s final 3:17.

Sales led the way for DC, knocking down his first 10 shots of the game and ending with a career-best 25 points to go with nine rebounds. Pettaway recorded his fourth-straight double-double with 12 points and 10 boards and Floyd joined Sales, Johnson and Pettaway in double figures with his 13-point, six-assist performance.

The Jackets sank 16-of-28 shots in the first half and ended the day shooting at an even 50-percent clip. Defiance held a 43-31 cushion on the boards and dished out 18 helpers as a team.

Hanover was led by Robby Brown’s 15-point, 12-rebound game and Jared Comer netted 13 points in 15 minutes off the bench.

DC (5-2, 3-1 HCAC) will have five days off before hosting Olivet on Friday at 3:00 pm in a non-conference contest. The Jackets will then host Washington and Jefferson on Dec. 18 at 7:00 pm before heading to Cleveland to compete in the Case Western Holiday Tournament.