Jessica Morris Era Begins as DC Begins Season at Centre

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Jessica 'Cox' Morris takes over the reins of the Defiance women's basketball team as the 12th head coach in the program's history. Morris will direct a squad that returns nearly every player from the 2011-2012 team that finished fifth in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. The Jackets bring back four of their five starters from last year and 87 percent of their scoring.

The Purple and Gold ranked high in a number of team statistical categories in the HCAC duing the 2011-2012 season. Defiance finished with the second highest free throw percentage in the conference with a mark of .723. The squad also did a good job on the glass, as the Jackets ranked second in offensive rebounding percentage at .342 and third in rebounding margin. DC utilized its length and quickness on the defensive end, consistently causing problems for the opposition, as the team finished fourth in blocked shots with an average of 2.6 per game and fourth in steals at 8.5 per contest.

In the upcoming season, Defiance will rely heavily upon its experience and the familiarity of playing with each other as an advantage over its opponents. The Yellow Jackets boast three seniors and three juniors who received significant playing time a season ago, including Kim Comden, Erica King and Hannah Harshman who were named HCAC Preseason Players to Watch by the conference coaches.

DC received solid play from its guards during last season's campaign. King, a former HCAC Freshman-of-the-Year recipient, led the Purple and Gold in scoring last year, pouring in 12.6 points per game. The junior led the squad in three-pointers made with an average of 2.4 per game. King was the only player in the Heartland to average over two per contest.

Rachel Ciminillo joins King in the Defiance backcourt. The senior was second on the team in steals with 30 and chipped in with 3.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Ciminillo started the last 21 games for the Jackets as a junior.

Megan Zachrich enters her sophomore season after a successful freshman year. Zachrich averaged 19.8 minutes per game, while leading the team in steals with 33 and averaging 4.1 points per game.

Rounding out the 2012-2013 backcourt is junior Maggie Neanen and four freshmen in Catey Fix, Kasey Geraghty, Sierra Stevens and Amber Moomey.

Defiance will look to Comden, the team's lone center, to anchor the frontcourt this season. Comden led the team in rebounds, blocks and free throw percentage last season, while averaging 10.6 points per game. The senior was first in the HCAC in free throw shooting with a percentage of .817 from the charity stripe.

Another integral piece to the Jackets' season will be Harshman. The junior was the most efficient scorer for DC, as Harshman recorded a .468 field goal percentage, placing her third in the conference. Harshman averaged 9.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.

Joining Comden and Harshman in the frontcourt is Kim Bingley, who broke into the starting lineup for the final 12 games last year. Bingley brings athleticism to the Jackets and averaged over three points and three rebounds.

Coming off the bench for the Purple and Gold last season was Emma Starks, who set career highs in points and rebounds. Other forwards that will look to make an impact on the upcoming season are junor Ashley Birchmeier, sophomore Megan Fields and freshman Marissa Kath.

The Yellow Jackets will look to use a balanced scoring attack and a deep bench to be successful in the upcoming season and improve on its 9-9 HCAC record from a season ago.

Defiance travels to Kentucky to tip off its season at the Centre Tournament. The Purple and Gold's first game is on Friday, November 16 against Thomas More at 5:00 p.m. The Jackets then play the host, Centre, on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.