DEFIANCE, Ohio – Just two days after topping the sixth-seeded Franklin Grizzlies by a 92-78 count to run its season-high win streak to six, the Defiance College men’s basketball team is hoping to ride that hot streak into the final weekend of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Tournament.

The third-seeded Jackets improved to 4-0 in their opening game of the HCAC Tournament over the past four years and advanced to the semifinal round for the fourth-straight time with the victory over Franklin on Tuesday night inside the Karl H. Weaner Community Center.

DC’s current six-game streak has bolstered the Jackets’ overall record to 21-5, tying the highest win total by a men’s team since the program made the transition to NCAA Division III prior to the 1991-1992 season. Defiance also garnered votes in the most recent www.D3hoops.com national poll for the seventh time this year. The Yellow Jackets netted 13 points in the week-12 poll for the 28th-highest total in the nation, after also receiving votes in the week one, five, six, seven, 10 and 11 polls.

Defiance will be eyeing its 26th conference championship in the history of the men’s basketball program, while looking to punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in school history. DC last accomplished the feat by topping Manchester, 104-97, in the 2001 HCAC Championship game.

The HCAC Semifinals will open on Friday on the campus of Anderson University, with the second-seeded Hanover Panthers (15-9) and Defiance (21-5) tipping at 6:00 pm inside the O.C. Lewis Gymnasium. Top-seeded Ravens (21-4) will then host the fourth-seeded Manchester Spartans (17-9) in the 8:00 pm contest. Friday’s winners will then square off on Saturday at 7:00 pm with the HCAC Championship and the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Division III National Tournament up for grabs.

Tickets can be purchased at the gate and all faculty, staff and students from Defiance College will be admitted for free with the presentation of their school identification card.

Fans not making the trip can follow all of the action through the webcast, audio and live stats broadcasts, which will all be available online. Links to those broadcasts can be found on the Defiance, Anderson and HCAC men’s basketball websites. (To sign in for the webcast, use the username anderson and the password ravens.)

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