Jackets Extend Win Streak to Three with 72-67 Victory

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance wrapped up its three-game homestand with its third-straight victory after edging Washington and Jefferson by a 72-67 margin on Monday night inside of the Weaner Community Center. The win pushed DC to 7-2 overall and gave the Jackets their sixth win in their last seven games.

It was a struggle all night for the Yellow Jackets, as they struggled to find a shooting rhythm and made just 40 percent of their shots from the floor. The cool shooting was overcome by a complete team effort by DC as five players hauled in at least four rebounds and six scored five or more points.

The Jackets also thrived at the charity stripe, sinking 19-of-23 free throws and beat the Presidents by a 25-17 count on the battle of the boards in the second half.

Washington and Jefferson shot a blistering 54.8 percent in the opening frame and held a two-point lead at the half, but

Defiance cranked up the defensive pressure in the final twenty minutes and held W&J to just 36.7 percent from the floor after intermission.

Nick Sales ignited the strong second half performance from the Jackets by picking up 15 points and seven rebounds after the break. Sales ended the night with a game-high 21 points on eight-of-10 shooting from the floor and also pulled down eight rebounds to go with one block in 19 minutes of work.

Anthony Pettaway saw his streak of five-straight double-doubles come to an end after coming up two rebounds shy of the feat. The sophomore center hit his season averages with 16 points and eight rebounds while picking up career highs with five assists and three blocked shots.

Mike Floyd turned in another strong all-around game with 13 points, three helpers and two steals, Matt Muratori had nine points, eight boards and three assists, while C.J. Johnson and Anthony Jackson each added five points.

The Presidents were led by Jon Koch and Brandon Studer who combined to drain 12-of-27 shots from the floor for 33 of Washington & Jefferson’s 67 points on the night. Wahab Owolabi added 13 points and six boards and Tony Lewis collected eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals.

Defiance (7-2) will take a 10-day break for the holidays before getting back into action on Dec. 29 and 30 when it competes in the Case Western Holiday Tournament. The Jackets are scheduled to play Juniata on the 29th at 6:00 pm.