DEFIANCE, Ohio --- The Defiance College Lady Yellow Jackets dropped their third straight decision while visiting the Anderson University Ravens, 55-57. DC is now 11-10 overall and 7-4 in the HCAC.

Meghann Savard’s game high 18 points would have been enough to push the Lady Jackets past the Ravens if the game had been 39 seconds shorter. In the closing 39 seconds of the game there were four lead changes due to four long bombs from behind the arc. In total, there were 14 lead changes in regulation play.

Anderson jumped to an early lead and put up eight points before DC connected on their first made basket 3:08 into the first half. The Jackets first three points came from free throws and did not hit a field goal until Savard’s lay up at the 15:16 mark. The DC defense stepped up and held the Ravens scoring stagnant for nearly two minutes, while the offense pushed on to create the first of four ties in the game. Meta Gerding’s free throws made the game even at eight at the 14:16 mark but the Raven’s Emily Bailey’s lay up 13 seconds later set the pace for the entire game. The lead would change seven more times before the half with neither team leading by more than four points at a time. Savard’s first charity point with 1:31 left to play gave the half its fourth tie and her second put DC up by one going into the intermission, 29-28.

DC used the momentum control of the first half and created a three point lead to start the second half off a Savard jumper. AU, never giving up, battled for the lead and held it twice before DC seized control of the lead, with its greatest being at six points twice.

While the second half belonged to the Lady Jackets, the closing seconds belonged to AU’s Lauren Vail. DC appeared to have ended its two game losing streak with 1:12 left in the second half as Kayla Mengerink sunk a field goal from a Gerding pass. AU then chipped away at DC’s lead beginning with a Bailey lay-up and ending with the first of three field goals Vail drained from behind the arc. DC, was still in control of their own destiny due to Kara Jones' answer to Vail’s second trey with 14 tickets left on the game clock. In the closing three seconds, Vail made her third and final triple. DC had two chances to score but could not capitalize on their last second shots.

Bailey finished the night with 14 points, 12 in the second half, and shot 4-9 from downtown.

The Lady Jackets will be back in conference action Saturday as they face Hanover College at 1:00 p.m. DC’s men’s team will take on Hanover following the conclusion of the women’s competition.