Defiance Beats Bluffton to Clinch HCAC Tournament Berth

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Lady Jackets clinched their second-straight appearance in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament with a 73-63 win over Bluffton on Wednesday night.  DC (11-13; 9-8) closed the first half on a 12-2 run, and carried the momentum through halftime to secure the victory.  

Defiance took an early 10-5 lead as Brooke Zachrich and Erica King combined to shoot four-of-four in the opening minutes, but Bluffton scored the next six points to take the lead, and used its advantage on the glass to claim a six-point advantage with 3:43 left before halftime.

Zachrich energized her team again, however, stealing the ball from BU's Rachel Daman and taking it the other way for an easy layup to cut the deficit to four with just over two minutes left. After a pair of free throws from Zachrich and a jumper from Tasha Stucke tied the game, 25-25, at the 1:23 mark, Molly Bateman joined the action, hitting a contested three-pointer from the corner while absorbing contact on a foul, and hit the free throw to complete the four-point swing.

Defiance never trailed from that point.

Bluffton out-rebounded the Jackets 28-14 in the second half, and posted a 13-0 advantage on the offensive glass in the period, but there simply weren't many offensive rebounds to be had for the Yellow Jackets, who hit 53.8 percent of their shots after halftime. DC centers, Hannah Harshman and Kim Comden, combined for a perfect six-of-six shooting in the half, helping Defiance to build its lead to as many as 18 points midway through the period.

The Beavers cut the lead to six with a minute left, but that was as close as they would get before DC scored the last four points to push the lead back to 10 at the end of regulation.

Zachrich posted career-highs of 15 points and five steals along with a team-high five assists to lead Defiance. The junior forward shot five-of-seven from the field while going four-of-four from the free-throw line.

The Lady Jackets will close out the regular-season schedule on Saturday, Feb. 19, when they host Franklin College (19-5; 13-4 HCAC) for Senior Day. DC seniors, Molly Bateman, Jenna Deskins, Courtney Schmersal and Tasha Stucke will be honored before tip-off, which is set for 2:00 p.m.