Fourth quarter lead erased by Earlham, Jackets fall to 0-11

RICHMOND, Ind. – The Defiance Yellow Jackets returned to conference play on Saturday and fell just shy of their first victory of the season with a 59-52 loss to the Earlham Quakers.

With the loss, DC falls to 0-11 and 0-4 in conference play while the Quakers snapped a four-game skid for their first win in the league this season and improved to 3-6 on the year.

TURNING POINT

DC entered the fourth quarter with a 39-36 lead, but the Quakers hit their first four shots of the final quarter, including a go-ahead 3-pointer by Amari Wright. The Earlham run to start the fourth extended out to 10-0 to wash away a 4-for-13 third quarter and sank three 3-pointers in the first six minutes of the quarter after making two treys through the first three quarters.

HOW IT HAPPENED

A competitive first half finished with the Yellow Jackets trailing by two, 25-23. DC hit five 3-pointers, including a pair by sophomore guard Ali Mowen in the first quarter. Turnovers plagued both sides in the first half as the teams combined to give the ball away 24 times combined. 

Earlham closed the first quarter with a pair of layups in the final 67 seconds of the period to expand a two-point lead to six. The Jackets struggled from the floor for nearly a 10-minute stretch, going 1-for-7 from the field with seven turnovers while the Quakers opened up a 10-point lead with 6:28 left in the half.

Lincolnview grad Zadria King responded with a 3-pointer to get Defiance started on a 13-5 run to close out the half. Karrie Smith also canned a pair of critical long-range shots, including an open hit from the top of the arc to cut the Earlham lead down to one with 45 seconds before halftime.

Defiance carried the momentum through halftime with a strong third quarter, muscled by more 3-point shooting. Mowen and Addy Allen started the half with treys to keep Defiance within one score. The Jackets took their first lead of the game with 3:22 left in the period on a make inside by King. After Earlham grabbed the lead back on a pair of free throws, Teagan Hunt nailed a go-ahead trey from the left wing to give DC a trio of 3-pointers for the quarter. 

After Earlham compiled their largest lead of the game during the fourth, a 13-point advantage, the Yellow Jackets went off on a 7-0 run to close the gap to 54-48 in the closing minutes. The Quakers shot 47 percent during the final 10 minutes while the Jackets went 3-for-13 from the field. For the game, 10 of Defiance's 16 made buckets were from outside the arc as the squad finished 26 percent for the game. Earlham shot 39 percent and won the rebound game 46-36.

BRINGING THE STING

• Zadria King led DC with 13 points and nine rebounds. She also converted all four free throw attempts.
• Ali Mowen had a strong performance with four 3-pointers for 12 points, a new season high. The Eaton grad also dished out three assists and secured four rebounds before fouling out late.
• Karrie Smith hit three triples for a nine-point afternoon.
• Wapakoneta's Addy Allen scored eight points with a pair of makes from long range.
• Among DC's 10 3-pointers, five different players made shots from outside the arc. Along with Mowen, Smith and Allen, King and Teagan Hunt added treys in the loss.

UP NEXT

The next contest for the Yellow Jackets is Wednesday, January 3 at Manchester. Tipoff against the Spartans is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

-JACKETS-