DEFIANCE, Ohio – The men’s basketball teams from Defiance College and Bluffton University will hook up for the 185th time in their storied rivalry on the planks when DC welcomes the Beavers to the Karl H. Weaner Community Center on Wednesday at 7:30 pm.

The latest installment brings plenty of hype, as both squads have surged up the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference standings on the strength of current win streaks. Defiance has won four-straight and seven of its last eight to improve to 10-5 overall and climb into fourth place in the league with a 5-3 clip, while Bluffton has won six of seven and its last three to improve to 11-4 overall. BU currently sits in a three-way tie for fifth with a 4-4 conference mark.

The two sides share more than similar winning streaks and overall records, as both teams are fueled by potent guard attacks. The Beavers are getting 32.4 points per game from its starting guards Mychal Hill, Nick Lee and Josh Fisher. That trio has helped Bluffton top the HCAC in three-point field goal percentage (39.6) and assists per game (15.9), while pushing the Beavers to 75.9 points per night.

BU’s scoring average ranks second in the conference only to Defiance’s 80.8 points per night. The Jackets also rely heavily on the scoring of its backcourt, with Logan Wolfrum (22.9) and Anthony Brown (17.7) providing the top scoring tandem in the league. Along with leading the HCAC in scoring, DC also tops the league in free throw percentage (78.2), total rebounds per game (38.8) and offensive boards per contest (11.7).

DC will look to push its home record to 8-1 and up its all-time series lead over Bluffton to 124-61 when the ball goes up at 7:30 pm inside the Hive. Fans not able to make the game, can still watch all of the action at www.DefianceAthletics.com/video.

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