Jones’s clutch three gives DC first HCAC win
Nick Williams, Assistant SID

DEFIANCE, Ohio – With nine seconds left, Kara Jones sank a three-pointer in the corner to give Defiance College a 67-64 win Saturday afternoon against Hanover College.

DC held a ten point lead with just under six-and-a-half to play and appeared that the team would cruise its way to a victory against a Hanover team that entered today’s contest second in the conference with a 4-1 record. However, costly Jacket turnovers would keep the Panthers in the game, as they cut the lead to only two with two minutes left to play. A layup at the 1:16 mark would tie the game at 62. Two Meghann Savard free throws would help the Jackets regain the lead with under a minute left. Hanover would answer with a bucket of its own to tie the game again, this time with only 32 seconds left. After a DC timeout, the Jackets inbound the ball to Kayla Mengerink. Holding off the Panther defense Mengerink was able to fight off a double team and find Jones open in the corner for a wide-open three.

Despite the close score, DC remained in charge for most of the game, as the Jackets actually held a ten-point lead going into the half and at one point led by as many as 16. The Jackets held Hanover to under 40 percent from the field and only 20 percent from three-point range.

Savard and Sarah Grime both recorded double-doubles in the game, as Savard scored 18 and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Grime poured in 14 and grabbed 11 boards. Sarah Bird chipped in with 16 and two assists. Jones, the game’s hero, had eight points and four assists.

DC, now 4-13 overall and 1-5 in the HCAC, hosts conference rival Bluffton University Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m.