Spartans upset Lady Jackets 59-45 in HCAC Tourney

DEFIANCE, Ohio—The Defiance College Lady Jackets’ season came to an end with a 45-59 loss at the hands of the visiting Spartans of Manchester on Tuesday night at the Karl H. Weaner Center.

Meghann Savard led DC with 11 points, while Meta Gering added 10 points in her final game in a Jacket uniform. Fellow senior Kelly VanderHorst had six points and six boards, while Kara Jones chipped in seven points. Erin Ward led MC with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Manchester lead the entire game, taking a 10-2 lead in the first five minutes. Defiance’s Sarah Bird closed the gap to 6-13 with a lay-up at the 13:35 mark but the Spartans eventually expanded their lead to 27-14 on a Becca Kane free throw and held on for a 32-21 advantage at the half.

Starting the second half, the Jackets went on a 14-6 run in the first 10-minutes, cutting the lead to three, 38-35. DC had their chances, but suffered through a six-minute thirty-eight second scoring drought, while the Spartans scored 10 unanswered to bring DC’s 04-05 season to a close.

Manchester advances to Friday night’s semi-final match-up with Transylvania at first-seed Franklin College, while the Grizzlies will face Transylvania in the 6:00 p.m. game.

Defiance ends their season at 14-11 overall with a 10-4 regular season mark in the Heartland Conference.