DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Lady Jackets will look to defend their title when they host the sixth-annual Pro Rehab – Hubbard Co. Tournament on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 17-18. Allegheny College, Brescia University and Indiana Wesleyan University will look to dethrone the Jackets for the first time since 2007.

Defiance has historically been a tough squad to beat in the tournament, with an 8-2 overall record and a perfect 5-0 mark in the opening round, dating back to 2004.  Last season, the Jackets knocked-off a tough Wilmington College team by a count of 70-62 in the championship match to claim their third tournament title in five attempts. Repeating as tournament champs will be no easy feat however, with an extremely tough field of competitors that boast a collective 25-5 mark this season.

Brescia University is riding a seven-game winning streak and is currently ranked No. 16 in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Coaches’ Poll. Senior guard, Brittany Bird, is one of the most productive players in the country, ranking first among all NAIA Div. II players in assists (7.0) and steals (4.9) per game, while ranking third overall in points per contest (22.0).

The Lady Bearcats will actually enter their tournament-opener as an underdog, however, when they square-off against perennial NAIA Div. II powerhouse, Indiana Wesleyan University. The Wildcats have been ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation this season, and feature a 10-2 record, with their two losses coming against NAIA nationally-ranked opponents. Brescia and Indiana Wesleyan will tip-off in the tournament-opener at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.

The Yellow Jackets will put their 5-0 record in the first round of the tournament on the line, and look to snap their two-game skid when they square-off against Allegheny College at 8:00 p.m. on Friday. The Gators enter the game on a two-game winning streak, and have caught fire offensively as of late, averaging 83 points per game in December. Defiance has struggled on defense recently, and has a great opportunity to turn things around against the high-octane Gators.

The losers of the opening-round contests will square-off in the consolation match at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, which will be followed by the championship game at 3:00 p.m. Adult tickets will be priced at $5.00 for single-game admission, and $8.00 for a tournament pass. Student, faculty and senior citizen admission will be discounted to $3.00 for a single-game ticket, and $5.00 for a tournament pass.

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