Sheets sinks game-winning basket in OT, Jackets hold off Rochester Christian

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Freshman forward Wren Sheets lifted the Defiance Yellow Jackets to an 87-85 overtime win over the Rochester Christian Warriors with a tip-in off an offensive rebound with less than one second to go at the Karl H. Weaner Center on Tuesday.

The game was tied at 85-85 after Sheets split a pair of free throws and Rochester answered with a quick, game-tying layup on the other end to knot the score with 11 seconds left. The Yellow Jackets' (7-5, 2-5 WHAC) Jalen Brown sped to the rack with 5 seconds left and had his shot deflected by the Warriors' (9-4, 4-3 WHAC) James Fisher, but Sheets soared to the basket to snag the rebound and finished to the right of the rim for the game-winning bucket. The Warriors had a fraction of a second left and heaved a full court attempt that kissed the front end of the iron.

Defiance held the lead through the duration of regulation, leading by as many as 20 late in the first half, until Rochester Christian took the lead with 1:41 left in the second half. Brown answered back with a layup for the Yellow Jackets and RCU tied the contest at 74-74 after splitting two shots at the line with just over a minute left in regulation. Defiance had the basketball for the last possession after Sheets delivered a blocked shot with 25 seconds left, but DC came up empty to send the game to overtime.

The Warriors, who shot just 28 percent in the first half before a resounding 55 percent second half with 4 3-pointers, opened the extra period with a 6-0 run. Brown came through with a clutch 3-pointer to cut the lead in half. Defiance came away with a steal out of a timeout and Sheets converted a second-chance bucket to cut the deficit to one. On RCU's next possession, the Warriors turned the ball over again, which led to a go-ahead dunk by Carder Orr. The Jackets trailed for the last time when Rochester Christian worked their lead back to 2 points before Brown converted a 3-point play on a layup and free throw, making the score 84-83.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• The two halves were split evenly in scoring, with Defiance taking a 45-29 lead into the half. Rochester Christian forced overtime with a 45-29 second half.
• Evan Angstmann and Donovan Stone carried the Yellow Jackets on offense in the first half, which saw Defiance shoot 51 percent along with 8 3-pointers. That duo recorded 22 points before the break while Angstmann secured 10 rebounds in the first 14 minutes of the game.
• Rochester Christian struggled mightily from the field early in the game, starting 2-for-14 in a 22-8 hole. The Warriors were buoyed by 15 made free throws in the first half.
• The Warriors failed to convert several critical free throws late in the game, going 10-for-17 in the second half and overtime. Over the last 3 minutes of regulation and overtime, RCU was 3-for-8 at the line.
• Angstmann went on to record the second double-double of his career at DC with 15 points and 11 rebounds. He also had four steals and a block. His 11 rebounds were the most by a Defiance player this season.
• Stone compiled his first 20-point performance at the college level, finishing with 21 points in 28 minutes off the bench. The Kentucky native went 9-for-14 from the floor with a trio of 3-pointers.
• Wren Sheets logged his first college game in double figures, scoring 11 points to go with 7 rebounds. Sheets had 5 points in overtime and also blocked 2 shots for the game.
• Jalen Brown had 16 points with 6 coming in the overtime period while giving the Jackets 32 minutes off the bench.
• DC's 12 3-pointers were the third effort this year with double-digit treys in a game.
• The victory was the second overtime win of the year for the Yellow Jackets and the first home conference victory of the campaign.
• Defiance shot 49 percent for the contest, improving to 7-0 when outshooting their opponent.
• The Yellow Jackets also rallied to win the battle of the boards, 40-37.

UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets are back in action on Saturday afternoon at Michigan-Dearborn for a 3 p.m. tipoff against the Wolverines at the UM-Dearborn Fieldhouse.

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