Lourdes hands DC first home loss

DEFIANCE, Ohio – In the first home conference game of the season, the Defiance Yellow Jackets dropped an 81-64 contest to the Lourdes Gray Wolves.

The Yellow Jackets (5-3, 0-3 WHAC) and Gray Wolves (7-1, 3-1 WHAC) traded buckets early, featuring two makes apiece by DC's Carter Sudhoff and Lourdes' Derek Fairley to start 4-4. The score stood 11-10 in favor of Lourdes following two Carder Orr free throws out of the first media timeout. However, the Gray Wolves posted an 18-0 run to run away with the first half, extending their lead to as many as 23 with 4 minutes left in the half. Lourdes held a 50-28 lead at halftime, handing the Yellow Jackets their largest halftime deficit of the season and scoring the most points in a half this year against the WHAC's leading defense entering the contest.

Lourdes went on to lead by 33 points halfway through the second half despite a couple 3-pointers by Evan Angstmann to give the Jackets offense some life out of halftime. Following the 71-38 advantage, the rest of the game was controlled by the Yellow Jackets. Defiance held Lourdes to just 10 points over the last 10 minutes of the game and rallied to win the second half, 36-31. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Carder Orr led Defiance in scoring, getting credit for 13 points and 7 rebounds. It was Orr's first career start on his way to his first game scoring double figures this season.
• Fellow freshman big man Logan Horton feasted in the closing minutes for DC, posting 11 points off the bench with 9 points in the last 6 minutes of the game. His career-high in scoring was supported by 5 offensive rebounds.
• Wren Sheets was the top rebounder for Defiance with 9. He also came away from the contest with 3 blocks for the third time this season.
• Thomas Hallett 
• Carter Sudhoff tallied 10 points in the first half and played sparingly through the second with the wide separation.
• Evan Ansgstmann was covered up defensively by Lourdes and held to 3-for-11 shooting, all makes from 3-point range for 9 points.
• Thomas Hallett contributed to the second-half rally with 7 points after the break.
• Lourdes had a strong night shooting the ball, ending the game shooting an even 50 percent. The Gray Wolves opened the game making 62 percent of their attempts in the first half.
• On the boards, Defiance gobbled up 31 rebounds including 13 on the offensive side following a 22-13 deficit at halftime.

UP NEXT
DC gears up for its last trip to Siena Heights on Saturday as the Jackets continue conference play. Tipoff against the Saints is scheduled for 3 p.m.

-JACKETS-