DEFIANCE, Ohio – When Defiance hosts Bluffton on Wednesday night it will mark the 182nd meeting on the planks between the two programs. As has been the case so often in the past, Wednesday’s game will have major implications for each squad as they make their final push for postseason positioning.

Defiance has climbed towards the top of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference standings with wins in eight of its last nine games and can position itself for back-to-back HCAC regular season titles with a win over Bluffton. The Jackets enter the week one game back of Franklin for the top spot and a win over BU on Wednesday could send DC to Franklin for the season finale on Saturday with the conference championship on the line.

Anthony Pettaway and Nick Sales have been dominating the paint for the Jackets, combining for 32.1 points and 19.2 rebounds per night over DC’s last nine, while shooting 60.3 percent from the floor. The post tandem will have plenty of help on Wednesday night, with juniors Mike Floyd, Heath Armstrong and Eric Stolly set to round out the starting five.

Bluffton will enter play on Wednesday having lost three of its last four and trying to cling to the fourth spot in the HCAC standings. The Beavers have struggled on the road, posting a 4-7 mark outside of Founders Hall.

The trio of Aaron Taylor, Nick Wilson and Colt Cunningham pace the BU attack on the offensive side of ball, as those three have combined to score 56 percent of Bluffton’s points this season. Wilson and Cunningham will anchor the starting cast for the Beavers and are expected to be joined by Brent Farley, Josh Eichar and Nick Lee.

Along with having major postseason implications, the 182nd meeting between Defiance and Bluffton will also be the final home regular season game for DC’s seniors Pettaway and Joe Nowak. The two-man class has helped the Jackets post a 61-40 overall mark during the past four seasons, while racking up 35 HCAC victories to just 25 defeats. Pettaway and Nowak are also 4-3 in seven lifetime meetings with Bluffton and have won each of the past three, to up DC’s all-time advantage in the series to 122-59.

Pettaway will also have a chance to make history when the ball goes up at 7:30 pm, as the senior center will take the court just 12 points shy of 1,400 for his career. If Pettaway reaches that milestone, he will be the 15th player in DC history to do so.

Defiance’s SAAC is sponsoring the ‘Black Out’ event for Wednesday night. All fans are encouraged to wear black to the game.

#####