Tight game swings away late from DC at Rochester Christian

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. - In a close affair that jockeyed back-and-forth all night, the Defiance Yellow Jackets were defeated, 79-75, by the Rochester Christian Warriors at Garth Pleasant Arena on Wednesday.

Tied 31-31 at halftime, the Yellow Jackets (10-8, 5-8 WHAC) found themselves chasing for much of the second half and could not overtake the Warriors (13-6, 8-5 WHAC) despite multiple late charges.

Wednesday's WHAC ballgame featured 15 lead changes and 12 ties, with the latest at 63-63 and 6:19 left on the clock. The Warriors used a 9-2 run to pull ahead by 7, but an alley-oop to Donovan Stone started a 7-2 for Defiance to hurry back within two. A technical was assessed to Stone after the play that awarded two free throws to Rochester Christian that accounted for their only two points during DC's rally. Evan Angstmann and Stone each hit 3-pointers in the last minute to bring DC within 2 points, but Rochester Christian iced out the Jackets from the free throw line and made 20-of-27 attempts in the second half.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Wednesday's defeat was DC's second in a row while RCU shook off their loss on Saturday to hold firm to fourth place in the WHAC.
• Shooting percentages were nearly even with DC gaining a small advantage at 45.3 to 43.4. 
• The Yellow Jackets excelled outside the arc with 9 triples compared to 2 by Rochester Christian.
• However, the Warriors tipped the scales at the free throw line by going 31-for-41 compared to DC's 8-for-13.
• Evan Angstmann led Defiance with 17 points, going 7-for-11 from the field.
• Donovan Stone and Jalen Brown each posted double figures off the bench. Brown hit 3 3-pointers with 14 points while Stone had 11.
• Carder Orr also had a 10-point effort for DC with a team-high 7 rebounds.

UP NEXT
Defiance returns home on Saturday for a 3 p.m. tipoff against the Siena Heights Saints at the Karl H. Weaner Center.

-JACKETS-