Lady Jackets remain winless in conference play
Nick Williams, Assistant SID

NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. – The Defiance College Lady Jacket Basketball Team is still looking for its first conference win after falling to Manchester College 64-48 Wednesday evening.

Manchester jumped out to an early 7-0 lead three minutes into the game. However, the Jackets would go on a 13-2 run of their own over the next four minutes to take a four-point lead. After a Spartan three-pointer and tip-in, Manchester held a 14-13 lead and would not relinquish it for the remainder of the game. DC managed to keep the game with reach for most of the first half, trailing only by five with 6:50 to play. A 15-3 Spartan run would stretch the deficit to 17 as Manchester held a 37-20 lead going into the half.

In the second half, Defiance could not manage to bridge the gap within the single digits. Although the team opened the half on a 8-2 run to make the score 39-28, this would be as close as the Lady Jackets would get for the remainder of the game. The two teams essentially traded baskets over the next 12 minutes, with Manchester maintaining the edge. The Spartans held a 60-39 lead with just under four minutes left in the game, as the Lady Jackets closed the game on a 9-4 run.

The Lady Jackets had difficulty with dropping buckets from the field, as DC was held under 40% shooting for the second straight game. Manchester outrebounded Defiance 36-27, including 13 offensive boards to DC’s nine. This led to 13 second-chance points and 28 points in the paint, compared to DC’s seven and 14, respectively.

Sarah Bird led the Jackets in scoring with 11 while grabbing eight rebounds. Meghann Savard narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and eight boards of her own. Kayla Mengerink also reached double digits in scoring with 10.

Defiance College, now 3-11 overall and 0-3 in the HCAC, host the College of Mount St. Joseph Saturday, January 14 at 3:00 p.m.