DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance will take part in the opening round of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament on Friday, and look to oust the Manchester College Spartans for the second-straight year. The Jackets and Spartans are set to tip at 6:00 p.m. in Hanover College’s Collier Arena.

Defiance (12-13; 10-8 HCAC) and Manchester (13-12; 11-7 HCAC) are separated by just one game in the conference standings, and split the series, 1-1, in their two regular-season contests, with both squads pulling over victories on the road. The matchup pits the offensive-minded Yellow Jackets, ranking 24th in the nation with 73.5 points per game, against a stingy Spartans’ defense, which has held its opponents to just 60.5 points per game on 37 percent shooting.

Both teams enter Friday’s contest having won six of their last ten games. Defiance beat conference rival, Bluffton University, on Feb. 16 to clinch a spot in the tournament, and played arguably its best game of the season on Feb. 19 in an 83-81 win over HCAC No. 2 seed, Franklin College, in its regular season finale. Manchester was in jeopardy of being caught by the Yellow Jackets in the HCAC standings, but rallied from down 19 against Transylvania to preserve its number four standing.

For fans that are unable to make the trip to Hanover, Live Stats and Webcast can be accessed by clicking the links above.

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