Lady Jackets’ second-half comeback not enough for a win
Nick Williams, Assistant SID

Defiance vs. Franklin Box Score

FRANKLIN, Ind. - A late rally by the Defiance College Women’s Basketball team fell short as the Lady Jackets fell to Franklin College Wednesday evening by the score 55-52.

After the Grizzlies got on the scoreboard first, the Jackets came out firing, jumping out to an early 10-6 lead. DC held the lead for a majority of the half, until the Jacket offense turned sluggish. After shooting 42.8% in the first 11 minutes, DC only hit one field goal over the remainder of the half.

The Lady Jacket first-half shooting performance put DC in a 31-21 hole at the half, as the Jackets only shot 7-of-29 in the period. Franklin, on the other hand, was able to better capitalize on its offensive opportunities, shooting 47.8% from the field.

The second half was a completely different story, as the Lady Jackets clamped down defensively and began to find their offensive stroke. DC stormed out of the intermission on a 12-2 run over the first four minutes to tie the game at 33.

Although the Grizzlies would regain the lead and maintain it throughout most of the half, DC’s defense kept the team in the game. Forcing 13 Franklin turnovers and holding the Grizzlies to only 16 shots in the half helped keep the deficit to no more than six.

After persevering throughout the half, the Jackets were able to tie the game at 50 with 3:10 remaining. After a Franklin free throw put DC down by one. Katie McNamara came through with a go-ahead jumper with 54 seconds left. Franklin would retailiate with a jumper by Kelly Snider, putting DC in a 53-52 hole with 38 seconds to go.

Mollie Patterson put up a three-pointer that would have given the Jackets a two-point lead, but could not find the bottom of the net. After a DC foul and two Grizzly free throws, DC had an opportunity to tie the game at 55 with a three pointer with ten seconds left. With one second left on the clock, McNamara shot the potential game-tying trey, but was unable to send the game into overtime.

Kayla Mengerink led the Jackets in scoring with 18 to go along with her three rebounds and four steals. McNamara had 15 points, five rebounds, and a season-high five steals. Mandy White chipped in with seven points, eight boards, and two steals.

Defiance (10-7, 3-5 HCAC) will finish up its three-game road trip by heading to Anderson Saturday afternoon for a 3:00 p.m. matchup.