Jackets Win HCAC Shootout Against Manchester, 95-82

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Heath Armstrong erupted for 15 points in the final 3:02 of action on Wednesday night to help Defiance close on a 22-12 surge and pull out a thrilling, 95-82, victory over the No. 42 Manchester Spartans in front of a raucous Karl H. Weaner Community Center crowd.

With DC clinging to a 73-70 lead, Armstrong found his touch and ended three-straight Yellow Jacket possessions with daggers from beyond the arc to break open an 82-70 Defiance advantage. The nine points came in a 39-second stretch between the 3:02 and the 2:23 marks of the second stanza.

Armstrong was not done there however, as he pulled down a defensive rebound on the Jackets' fourth-straight defensive stop and calmly sank both free throws at the other end to complete a furious one-man rally. When the dust had settled, Armstrong's 11-unanswered points had turned a narrow, 73-70, lead at the 3:18 mark into a commanding, 84-70, spread with 1:51 left on the clock.

Defiance would not look back from there, with Armstrong icing the victory with four-straight free throws in the closing seconds to secure the 95-82 win.

The game featured 11 lead changes, six ties and countless momentum swings, as the top two scoring teams in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference raced up and down the hardwood throughout the night.

The Spartans struck first by charging out of the gates to grab a 20-13 edge with 14:02 remaining in the opening half, but Logan Wolfrum ignited the Jackets with a trifecta to bring DC within four points.

Defiance would end up scoring 22 of the game's next 26 points to claim a 35-24 lead with 5:14 left in the half and went to the break with a 42-31 cushion.

Manchester stormed back in the opening moments of the second period however, scoring the first seven points of the half and eventually drawing even at 53-53 with 11:56 to play. Jordan Moss then pushed the Spartans to the 56-54 lead 54 seconds later, with a shot from three-point range.

Neither side would lead by more than two points from there, until a trey from Wolfum and a hoop from Mike Floyd gave DC a 73-67 lead with 3:41 showing on the clock.

A three from MC's Mitch Schaefer closed the gap to 73-70 on the Spartans' next possession, setting the stage for Armstrong's scoring binge that sent Defiance to the 13-point victory.

Armstrong ended the night with 17 points off the bench for Defiance, with Floyd chipping in 17 points of his own and adding five assists. The backcourt duo netted 27 of the team's 53 second-half points and accounted for 34 of DC's commanding 53-19 lead in points off the bench.

A pair of starters also had big nights, as Nick Sales logged a double-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while Wolfrum knocked in five three-point shots to end with 17 points.

Defiance climbed to 6-1 with the victory and 2-1 in the HCAC. The Jackets will look to continue their torrid start on Saturday, with a visit to Hanover (3-3, 0-2 HCAC) beginning at 3:00 pm.