Defiance Remains Perfect in HCAC with 88-64 Victory

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance knocked down 13 attempts from beyond the arc on Saturday and shot 59.6 percent from the field as it handled Mount St. Joseph, 88-64, inside the Weaner Community Center. The win moves the Jackets to 4-0 in league play and was their third-straight victory by 20 points or more.

DC used a balanced attack out of the gates to distance itself from the Lions. Seven different players scored a bucket to start the game for the Jackets, helping them to a 16-6 lead at the 12:48 mark. C.J. Johnson became the first Yellow Jacket to record multiple field goals when he pushed the spread to 18-6 and a pair of Eric Stolly free throws capped a 16-0 rally and boosted DC to a 20-6 advantage.

The lead would grow to 15 after a three-point play from Anthony Pettaway gave DC the 23-8 lead, but The Mount answered with a 20-11 rally to narrow the gap to six points with 22 seconds left in the opening stanza.

One of the key shots of the game came moments later, as Anthony Jackson found Bryan Post on the right wing for a trey as time expired. The shot lifted DC to a 37-28 lead at the break and sent the Jackets to the intermission with some breathing room.

The two teams would trade buckets to begin the second half before Mike Floyd and Johnson teamed up to fuel another Yellow Jacket surge. Pettaway started the 12-0 run with a pair of free throws. Johnson then pulled down a defensive rebound on the other end and hit a streaking Floyd for an easy deuce. The duo connected once again after a Johnson steal and Floyd’s layup pushed the spread to 46-33. Floyd and Johnson then reversed roles on the next two DC possessions, as Floyd assisted a pair of three-point shots from Johnson to push Defiance’s lead to 21 points at 54-33 with 15:08 to play.

That spurt effectively put the game away, as MSJ would never get closer than 18 from that point on and Defiance coasted to the 88-64 win.

Hot shooting helped the Jackets hold off any Mount St. Joseph rallies, as DC sank nine-of-13 shots from long distance in the second half. Heath Armstrong led the long-distance assault with five treys for 15 points. Johnson and Jackson each knocked down a trio of shots from downtown to end with 17 and nine points each.

Even with the hot shooting attack, Defiance still did plenty of damage inside the arc as Pettaway turned in 15 points to highlight 38 points in the paint for the Jackets.

Eric Stolly ended with six points and eight rebounds, Nick Sales had six points and six assists and Floyd also dished out six dimes to pace the high-powered offensive attack for Defiance.

The Yellow Jackets (9-4, 4-0 HCAC) will have a week off to prepare for a crucial matchup with Transylvania (7-4, 3-0 HCAC) on Saturday, Jan. 12. The two remaining unbeatens in league play will battle in Lexington, Ky., with first place in the conference standings up for grabs.