Defiance Edges Albion for Purple and Gold Tournament Crown

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance took everything a tenacious Albion College squad could muster in Thursday's championship game of the 36th-Annual Purple and Gold Tournament, before pulling out the 79-74 victory for DC's 20th championship in the history of the event.

Neither side led by more than six points the entire night in a game that featured 16 lead changes and 12 ties. The contest also had 52 fouls in 40 minutes with the two sides combining for 67 free throw attempts. Defiance made the most of its chances, sinking 28-of-36 attempts for a 77.8-percent clip, while Albion struggled to make 17-of-31 for a 54.8-percent rate.

The advantage at the charity stripe helped the Jackets overcome a 48-37 edge by Albion on the glass, where the Britons hauled in 20 offensive caroms that led to a 23-4 advantage in second-chance points.

The back-and-forth action saw the two sides locked at 33-33 after the opening half and led to 10 ties and seven lead changes during the final 20 minutes. Neither team was able to lead by more than three points over the final nine minutes, until a pair of Ryan Hicks free throws gave DC a five-point cushion with only seven seconds remaining on the clock.

Logan Wolfrum took control of the game during that crucial stretch, netting 14 of his game-high 27 points in the game's final nine minutes. A three-point play from Wolfrum put DC in front at 57-55 with 6:27 to go, before the sophomore point guard drove baseline and found an open Leroy Lewis for a three-ball from the corner to claim the 64-63 lead with 3:33 showing on the clock.

The duo struck again on the next possession, as Lewis found Wolfrum for a jumper that reclaimed the one-point cushion for the Jackets.  Anthony Brown then completed a three-point play of his own to open up a 69-66 spread but Albion battled back to knot the score at 70-70 with 52 seconds left in the game.

Wolfrum then sank the biggest shot of the night, hitting a trifecta with 39 ticks left to put Defiance back in front by three and a pair of Hicks free throws with 13 seconds left made it a 75-72 lead.

That set the stage for one final attempt from Albion but it would never materialize, as an unforced turnover gave the ball back to DC and Hicks iced the victory with another pair from the line to open up the 77-72 spread. Wolfrum would complete the scoring with two more free throws, as Defiance pulled out the 79-74 victory.

Wolfum claimed Most Valuable Player honors by scoring 25 points in the second half and ending with 27 points, six assists, six boards, one block and one steal in 40 minutes of work. Brown joined Wolfrum on the All-Tournament Team with 19 points in his 38 minutes.

Hicks had another all-around effort with 15 points on five-of-six shooting, while adding seven boards and two blocks and Kyle Tietje added six points and seven rebounds off the bench. Kevin Tietje matched his brother's numbers after pulling in 16 rebounds one night earlier and was given the Gerry Boomer Sportsmanship Award.

Defiance (6-4, 1-2 HCAC) improved to 56-16 all-time in 36 years of the Purple and Gold Tournament and will put its three-game win streak on the line on Sunday. The Jackets will return to conference action with a road test at Manchester (6-4, 2-1 HCAC) at 3:00 pm in North Manchester, Ind.