The Defiance College Yellow Jackets earned a 82-74 win over arch-rival Bluffton University on Wednesday night at the Karl H. Weaner Center.
Four Jackets scored in double-figures with C.J. Johnson leading the way with 21 points, while Curt Croy and Trent Meyer were next with 20 and 18 points, respectively. Matt Voland led DC in rebounding with seven, while also scoring 11 points. DC outran the Beavers throughout the game on pace to 18 fast-break points compared to BU’s two.
With the score 75-69 in favor of DC and under two minutes remaining, the Beavers came out of a scramble, trying to cut into the DC lead. A lay-up by Simeon Talley was swatted away by Voland as the Jackets captured the win to improve their record to 8-10 on the year and 1-6 in the HCAC. Scott Bergman led the way for Bluffton with 20 points after being held to just four first-half points.
The game was knotted at 34 going into the break. Defiance had initially fell behind by three when Talley drilled a triple at the 8:31 mark to make the score 17-24. Voland led DC back, scoring six points in less than a minute and a half to bring DC back into a tie ballgame.
Croy scored 14 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half and gave the Jackets a 57-54 on a fast-break jumper off a Johnson assist with nine minutes left. Talley would tie the game for the fifth time at 61-61 on a lay-up at the 6:37 mark. Two straight triples by Meyer and Brett Hammons immediately gave DC a six-point lead with six minutes left.
The Jackets hit seven free-throws down the stretch to preserve the win, despite nine points by Bergman in the last four minutes.
The Jackets (8-10, 1-6 HCAC) will next travel to Franklin College on Saturday to begin the final round of conference games. The Jackets fell to the Grizzlies 79-93 at home on January 8th.