Foul trouble slows down Jackets in tight loss to UNOH

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Defiance College Yellow Jackets battled through foul trouble and mounted a strong fourth-quarter push, but ultimately fell to the University of Northwestern Ohio, 75-67, on Saturday afternoon at the Karl H. Weaner Center in WHAC women's basketball action.

The Racers improved to 15-9 overall and 9-9 in the WHAC, while Defiance moved to 3-21 and 0-18 in the conference.

UNOH jumped out quickly, using early interior scoring and trips to the free throw line to build a 23-13 lead after the first quarter. Defiance settled in during the second period, tightening up defensively and getting balanced contributions to trim the margin. The Yellow Jackets outscored the Racers 17-14 in the quarter and trailed 37-30 at the break.

The Racers created separation in the third quarter, stretching their advantage to as many as 18 points late in the period. Foul trouble proved to be the biggest hurdle for Defiance throughout the afternoon, disrupting rotations and sending UNOH to the line consistently. Despite the setback, the Jackets continued to compete and kept the deficit manageable heading into the final frame.

Defiance showed strong resilience in the fourth quarter, putting together their best offensive stretch of the day by scoring 27 points over the last 8 minutes. The Jackets attacked the paint and got key production from their bench to close the gap, but UNOH converted enough free throws down the stretch to secure the win.

Kayla Houston led Defiance with 17 points, while Lorena Caparros added 13 points off the bench as part of a 38-point bench effort. San'Taizia Thomas finished with a career-best 10 points and 7 rebounds, and Jourdyn Wynn posted 8 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. Olivia Thompson paced UNOH with 23 points and 5 assists.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Defiance shot 38.6 percent from the field compared to 37.7 percent for UNOH.
• The Yellow Jackets won the rebounding battle, 47-44, including 13 offensive boards.
• Defiance also forced the edge in turnovers, committing 13 while UNOH had 17, leading to a 20-16 advantage in points off turnovers.
• The Jackets scored 42 points in the paint and 15 second-chance points.
• UNOH attempted 33 free throws and made 23, which proved decisive in the close game.
• Defiance committed 30 total fouls in the contest and saw 3 players foul out.
• Ali Mowen knocked down 1 3-pointer and now sits one away from 100 career made 3s.

UP NEXT
Defiance continues WHAC play next week with a road contest at Madonna on Wednesday, as the Yellow Jackets look to bounce back in conference action. Tipoff against the Crusaders is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

-JACKETS-