DC pulls off another close road win at Aquinas

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Defiance Yellow Jackets battled all 40 minutes and pulled out a last-minute victory, 75-71, over the Aquinas Saints at the Sturrus Center in WHAC men's basketball action on Sunday.

The Yellow Jackets (9-6, 4-6 WHAC) have now won 3 of 4 and are enjoying the program's best start through 15 games since 2019. Sunday's result also snapped a string of two straight wins for the Saints (6-9, 4-6 WHAC). 

In a game that experienced 7 ties and 8 lead changes while neither team led by more than 7 points, the Yellow Jackets broke a 71-71 tie over the last minute of the game. It started with an offensive board by Baylen Blockberger, who split his two attempts to break the tie. Following a turnover by Aquinas on the other end, fellow freshman Isaiah Meade-Moss went 1-for-2 to add to pad the Jackets' lead. Aquinas got a 3-point attempt off with 12 seconds to go but came up empty and had to resort to fouling. DC was able to find Evan Angstmann with the ball to draw the last foul and iced the win with two more makes at the charity stripe.

Aquinas held the upper hand early with a 9-2 start to the game and led by as many as 6 points halfway through the opening half. Blockberger lifted the Jackets to their first lead with a 3-pointer at the 7:12 mark followed by makes by Meade-Moss and Wren Sheets. Thomas Hallett also added a trey before the half while DC built a 6-point but the Saints rallied to finish the half on an 8-0 run.

The second half was similar as the Saints built a 7-point cushion following the break but the Jackets rallied. A trio of 3-pointers by Angstmann quickly turned a 38-31 hole into a 40-39 DC lead. Hallett added a pair of big-time treys in the middle of the half to pull Defiance back from brief two-possession holes. Both sides traded buckets until DC was able to build a 70-63 lead, an advantage that vanished in two minutes before the Purple and Gold endured the dramatic final minute.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• The win was DC's first win over Aquinas in the all-time series.
• Defiance went from shooting 32 percent in the first half to 45 percent after the break to help fuel second-half rally.
• Sunday's win was the first time this year DC prevailed despite a lower shooting percentage than its opponent.
• Defiance sank 8 3-pointers in the win: 3 by Angstmann and Hallett with two more from Blockberger.
• In the hustle categories, DC won the battle on the boards, 40-32, while each team limited its turnovers to just 9 each.
• Evan Angstmann was DC's top scorer with 21 points for his team-high fourth 20-point game of the year.
• Christian Burton was the only other Yellow Jacket to score double digits with 11. He also had 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
• Baylen Blockberger posted a team-best 7 rebounds and had 7 points. 
• Thomas Hallett enjoyed a 9-point effort to give DC several key 3-pointers. 
• Wren Sheets led the bench with 23 minutes of action and scored 9 points with 7 rebounds.

UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets play the Cleary Cougars on Wednesday, tipping off at Gannon Gymnasium in Lansing at 7:30 p.m.

-JACKETS-