The Defiance College Yellow Jackets were outshot at the free-throw line 9-to-24, eventually falling to the host Grizzlies of Franklin College, 77-87 on Saturday afternoon.
C.J. Johnson exploded for a career-high 32 points on 11-of-18 shooting with five triples. Matt Laudick and Curt Croy added 13 and 12 points, respectively, while Anthony Jackson chipped-in eight. The Grizzlies countered with four players in double-digit scoring, led by Dustin Marshall’s 19 points.
Franklin hit 21 of their 24 charity attempts to overcome 52% shooting by DC. The Jackets hit 50% of their three-point attempts but were out-rebounded 23-to-38 by the Grizzly front court.
Croy tied the game at 68-all with a lay-up off a Johnson assist with 5:34 to go. A 12-2 Franklin run ensued over the next three-and-a-half minutes, giving the Grizzlies control of the game.
A 12-5 run by the Jackets gave Defiance their first lead of the game when Johnson hit his first triple of the game nine-minutes in. Franklin’s 22 first-half bench points eventually game the hosts 40-36 lead at the break.
With the loss, the Jackets fall to 0-2 in the Heartland Conference and 7-5 overall.
Defiance will host Manchester College on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. at the Karl H. Weaner Center.
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