Holmes Scores Career-Tying High 19 in Loss to BW

DEFIANCE, OHIO  --  For the second time this season, junior Chris Holmes (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) scored 19 points, equalling his career-high in a 67-57 loss to Baldwin Wallace University in the consolation game of the Purple & Gold Financial Men's Tournament at the Karl H. Weaner Center.

Holmes' 19 points was also a team-high while shooting 61.5 percent (eight-of-13) from the field.  Fellow junior Michael Parker (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) was the only other teammate to score in double figures with 14 points with 12 points coming from behind the arc.

For the second straight game, senior Wade Wooley (Wauseon) finished in double digits in rebounds with a game-high 14 boards to go along with five points.

Following the tournament, Parker was selected to the All-Tournament Team and junior Keandre Gilmer (Toledo/Rogers) received the Gerry Boomer Sportsmanship Award.

Defiance (5-5) led early, 7-4, in the opening minutes of the first half.  Baldwin Wallace (8-4) then went on an 8-0 scoring run to move ahead, 12-7, with 15:16 left in the period.  DC came right back with five unanswered points to even the game at 12-12 at the 12:54 minute mark.

The back-and-forth pace continued throughout the remainder of the half with neither team leading by more than four points the rest of the way.  BW led by four points, 22-18, with just under six-and-a-half minutes to go when a layup by Holmes sparked a 10-2 run that gave DC a four-point edge, 28-24, with 2:15 remaining capped by a three-pointer by freshman Blake Dunbar (Napoleon).

BW ended the half with eight straight points of its own to go back up by four points with a halftime score of 32-28.

Baldwin Wallace continued its run to start the second half with five straight points to increase the margin to nine points, 37-28.  Following a jumper by Holmes, BW then added a pair of free-throws and a jumper to record its first double-digit lead of the game of 11 points, 41-30, with 15:34 to go in the game.

DC came back with a pair of triples by Parker to make it a more manageable five-point deficit, 41-36.  BW would eventually increase the margin to nine points on several occasions before DC would make a final rally attempt and pull to within four points, 52-48, as part of a 5-0 run thanks to a bucket by Holmes and another three-pointer by Dunbar with 4:33 to play.  But that would be as close as DC would get as an ensuing 8-2 BW run pushed the deficit back to double figures, 60-50.

BW equaled its largest margin of the game of 11 points at the 1:27 mark, 63-52, and would seal the victory with a series of free-throws down the stretch to go on to the 10-point victory, 67-57.

Baldwin Wallace shot 36.7 percent (22-of-60) from the floor, despite shooting just 28.0 percent (seven-of-25) from three-point range.  Cameron Kuhn led the team in scoring with a game-high 23 points.  

Defiance will look to get back on track on Saturday, Jan. 2 when it hosts Mount St. Joseph University in a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference game at the Weaner Center.  The game will be part of a basketball doubleheader with the women's team.  The women will tip-off against MSJ at 1 p.m., followed by the men at 3 p.m.