DC handles Wright State Lake to begin Purple & Gold Tournament

DEFIANCE, Ohio - The Defiance Yellow Jackets improved to 4-1 on the young season with a convincing 81-61 win over the Wright State Lake Lakers on Friday at the Karl H. Weaner Center, concluding a four-game slate on the first day of the 50th Purple and Gold Tournament.

The Yellow Jackets (4-1, 0-1 WHAC) held command of the game from the tip, aside from a one-minute stretch when the Lakers (2-8) briefly held a 10-9 lead after a 6-0 burst early in the first half. DC took off on an 8-0 run in response but were unable to pull away until the closing minutes before halftime. Leading by one at 29-28, the Jackets closed the first half with a 9-0 run, starting with Parker Chatman's lay in followed by 7 straight points from Christian Burton.

Evan Angstmann caught fire after the break and sparked Defiance in the early minutes of the second half. The sophomore racked up 9 of DC's first 11 points out of the locker room, including a wide-open slam dunk on a post feed from Carter Sudhoff. The lead swelled to over 20 points after trifectas from Baylen Blockberger and Christian Burton near the 12-minute mark. Down the stretch, the Yellow Jackets mixed in a total of 15 players and saw 13 different players get in the scorers column.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• The 81-point output was the team's second-most of the year.
• After shooting 50 percent in the first half, DC ended the contest at 46.5 percent from the floor. It was the team's second-best night shooting the ball this year.
• Defiance also made 6 3-pointers, marking the second game with a percentage of 25 percent or better from long range.
• Defiance forced the Lakers into 15 turnovers and blocked 11 shots, a season high for the Jackets.
• Four Yellow Jackets posted double figures in the win, led by Christian Burton's 13. Jalen Brown and Baylen Blockberger each logged 12 points each.
• Carter Sudhoff flirted with a double-double with 10 points and 8 rebounds. He also assisted on 3 other buckers to set a new career-high.
• Parker Chatman recorded a new career-high in rebounds with 6 to complement his 3 points.
• Logan Horton recorded his first-career points with 8 for the night, starting with an emphatic, two-hand slam on a feed from Parker Chatman.
• Isaiah Meade-Moss also scored his first points in a regular-season game with a strong layup in the final minutes.

UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets wrap up the 8-game slate at the Purple and Gold Tournament on Saturday night with a 7 p.m. tipoff against Washington Adventist.

-JACKETS-