Second Half Surge Delivers DC Victory in Home Finale

DEFIANCE, Ohio – After a poor first half, the Yellow Jackets dug in on the defensive end of the floor and came away with a 57-50 win over Rose-Hulman in Defiance's home regular season finale on Saturday afternoon. The Jackets managed to outscore the Engineers 37-19 in the second stanza.

The two sides battled to a draw through the first 10 minutes of the opening stanza, as a layup from DC's Kim Comden leveled the score at 13-13. Then Rose-Hulman took over and controlled the rest of the first frame. The Engineers outscored Defiance 18-7 and went into the break with a double-digit lead of 31-20.

Comden led all Yellow Jacket scorers at the half with eight points and added four rebounds in 16 minutes of action. Juniors Erica King and Hannah Harshman both scored five points for DC in the opener.

The Yellow Jackets were unable to significantly cut into the Rose-Hulman lead to begin the second half, as the Engineers still held an eight-point advantage with the score 47-39 with just 7:30 left on the clock.

The Purple and Gold then got locked in on both sides of the floor and used an 11-0 run to grab a 50-47 lead with just over three minutes to play in the contest and give the Jackets their first lead of the half.

The Fightin' Engineers responded with a made jumper from Carrie Morris to cut the DC lead to just one with 2:58 to play.

Defiance then put the game out of reach by scoring seven of the game's last eight points to secure the victory and send the seniors out in fashion with a 57-50 win.

Comden and King each scored 15 points in the victory. Comden, the reigning HCAC Player of the Week, also added seven rebounds and one assist, while King finished with six boards and three assists.

Rachel Ciminillo was the Yellow Jackets' unsung hero, as the senior point guard hauled in eight rebounds and swiped six steals to shut down the Engineers in the second frame. Ciminillo also added four points and three assists to complete her performance.

With the win, the Yellow Jackets ensured their first winning season in three years and finish the regular season with an 8-3 home record, the best since the 2009-2010 season.

Defiance goes on the road for its final two regular season games, as the Jackets face archrival Bluffton on Wednesday, February 13 at 6:00 p.m. followed by the regular season finale at Franklin on Saturday, February 16 at 2:00 p.m.