DC maintained its double-digit lead throughout the rest of the half, going up by as many as 17. By the end of the first 20 minutes, DC went into the break up with a comfortable 11-point margin.
Sarah Grime shined brightly in the first half, scoring 10 off of the bench. She was nearly perfect, shooting 5-of-6 from the field in 12 minutes of action.
Unfortunately for DC, the torrid shooting would not last in the second half, as the Lady Jackets struggled from the field, going 7-of-24. Early in the period, the Grizzlies slowly clawed its way back into the game, chipping away at the Jacket lead. Franklin began the period with a 12-7 run over the first eight minutes to trim the gap to six with the score 43-37.
At the 8:09 mark, DC widened the margin to make it 50-42. This score would not change for nearly three minutes when Sarah Bird connected on a trey to make it an 11-point game. From this point on, Defiance kept the Grizzlies at bay and never let them get closer to seven en route to the nine-point win.
Strong defense allowed DC to maintain its lead over Franklin in the second half, as the team forced 12 turnovers which led to 26 Jacket points. Along those same lines, Defiance was able to minimize giving the ball up, committing only six turnovers in the half.
Kayla Mengerink and Sarah Bird each scored 16 for the Lady Jackets, with Mengerink adding seven rebounds and Bird three steals. Grime finished with 12 points and four boards. Mandy White added three points, six rebounds, and five assists.
Defiance (14-10, 7-8 HCAC) finishes the regular season Saturday afternoon in the first half of a men’s/women’s doubleheader against Transylvania University. The Lady Jackets will play the first game at 1:00 p.m.
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