Matt Laudick led the Jackets with 21 points, while Curt Croy and Anthony Pettaway hit for 13 and 12, respectively. Jarret Ensign came of the bench to score six points with two assists, a block and two steals. The Grizzlies were led by Jon Neill and Nick Kane who each had 13 points. Kane led all players with 11 rebounds.
A sluggish first half for the Yellow Jackets resulted in an 18-34 deficit at the break. Shooting 38% from the floor in the initial period was coupled with 10 Jacket turnovers, contributing to the low scoring output.
The second half saw the Jacket outscore the Grizzlies 41-32, including a 25-10 run, culminating in a Curt Croy old-fashioned three-point play at the 6:40 mark, knotting the score at 51. Laudick gave DC their first second-half lead, 55-54, when he hit a driving lay-up with 3:37 remaining.
Two-straight triples by FC’s Brandon Ray and Neill did in the Jackets as the Grizzlies outscored DC 8-4 over the final two minutes.
The Jackets drop to 8-10 on the season and 1-7 in the Heartland Conference while the Grizzlies climb to 13-6 overall and 5-2 in the league.
Defiance will travel to Manchester on Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off with the Spartans.
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