The Defiance College Yellow Jackets dropped their third game to the College of Mount St. Joseph Lions on the road, 58-71. Defiance falls to 8-13 overall and 1-9 in the HCAC.
Junior Curt Croy carried the offensive load with a game high 29 points and was a perfect 7-7 from the charity stripe. Joel Ruffer and Matt Laudick added eight points. Ruffer also nabbed a team high eight boards. Mount’s Kevin Darthard had a team high 16 points.
The first four minutes of play saw six lead changes and one tie but the Jackets were able to capitalize on a Croy three point field goal that would give them a two point lead at the 16:11 mark. By 11:22 DC saw their largest lead of the game at nine. After Darthard cut the lead to two, both teams suffered a 2:38 second scoring drought in which three Mount foul’s were committed. Mount’s Tony Blomer ended the drought with a layup and cut the lead to five. The Lions continued to chip away at DC’s lead and tied the game at 24-24 with just under five minutes left in the half on another Tony Blomer layup.
The last five minutes of the first half looked much like the first four as there were five lead changes and two ties. The largest lead either team experienced in the closing minutes was two points. With just three seconds left, Mount’s Chris Huening connected on both free throw to produce the fourth tie of the game at 31-31.
After the intermission, DC once again took the lead on a Croy three pointer, but that would be the last time the score would be in the Jacket’s favor. Blomer’s trey 23 seconds later created the fifth and final tie but Mount’s momentum was too much for the Jackets. Croy’s second make from the free throw line brought the lead to a field goal, but Mount produced a nine point run DC could not recover from.
Mount’s largest lead was 14 points with 7:27 remaining in regulation play on the front end of Jeff Perry’s free throws.