Beavers down Lady Jackets

BLUFFTON, Ohio—The Defiance College Lady Jackets fell to the Bluffton University Beavers on Wednesday night, 63-74, at Founders Hall in Bluffton, Ohio.

Meghann Savard led DC with 18 points, hitting 7-of-13 shots, and a game-high nine rebounds. Kara Jones and Kayla Mengerink each hit for double figures in the loss with 15 and 13 points, respectively. Defiance led at the half, 33-27, but was done in by 75% Beaver shooting in the second stanza while hitting just 31% of their own attempts.

Angie Lee of Bluffton led all scorers with 26 points, hitting 8-of-11 from the floor. The Beavers out-rebounded DC, 32-23, including a 17-9 edge in the second period.

A see-saw initial 10 minutes ended when Defiance embarked on a 15-4 run between the 12 and five-minute marks. A Sarah Bird triple gave the Jackets a 33-25 edge with seconds left in the half, but a jumper by Karin Schaller brought BU back to within six at the break.

The Beavers went on a run of their own in the early stages of the second half, outscoring DC 21-4 behind balanced scoring and cold Jacket shooting. Tanya Rickenberg closed out the run with a jumper at the 12:45 mark to make the count 48-39 in favor of the hosts.

The Beavers built the gap to 19 before coasting to the double-digit win.

The Lady Jackets are now 5-19 overall and 2-11 on the season. Defiance will host Transylvania on Saturday in their home finale at 3:00 p.m. at the Weaner Center.

The Heartland Conference Tournament will begin next Tuesday with the DC women’s team likely traveling to Manchester.