Jackets lose after chaotic final minutes at Lourdes

SYLVANIA, Ohio – In a game that saw the Defiance Yellow Jackets trail by as many as 10 points in the first half, Wednesday's matchup against the Lourdes Gray Wolves came down to the final minute, where DC fell short, 75-74.

The Yellow Jackets (10-10, 5-10 WHAC) worked their way into potentially upsetting the third-ranked team in the conference, leading by 2 points with just 18 seconds left. The two squads exchanged the lead 11 total times and were tied on 9 occasions through the duration of the game. 

With 2:34 left to play, Donovan Stone sank 3 free throws after taking a foul, and Christian Burton followed with a layup on the next possession to put DC ahead 73-70. The Gray Wolves (17-4, 11-4 WHAC) and Yellow Jackets each had two empty possessions until Derek Fairley drew a DC foul, which led to two Lourdes free throws. Defiance turned the ball over on the next out-of-bounds play, but Lourdes couldn't capitalize on a rushed layup. Evan Angstmann snagged the rebound and was fouled immediately to set up a trip to the charity stripe. 

Angstmann split the free throws with 18 seconds left, giving Defiance a 74-72 lead. Lourdes rushed to the other end after securing a rebound off the missed second attempt, and Fairly sank a go-ahead 3-pointer that rolled around the rim before falling in with 9 seconds left. DC had time to go the length of the floor to go for the win, but a turnover spoiled their chances before getting a shot off as the clock expired whistle-free.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• The see-saw night for the Jackets started in a 10-2 hole before rallying to a 15-14 lead on a 13-4 run.
• Lourdes worked their lead back to a game-high 10 points at 28-18 with 6:41 left in the first half.
• Defiance cut the lead to 6 points just before halftime thanks to work on the offensive glass by Carter Sudhoff.
• Despite shooting 32 percent in the first 20 minutes, the Yellow Jackets were able to keep the Gray Wolves within shouting distance despite a 52 percent body of work by the home team in the first half.
• After halftime, DC had the superior shooting game with a 54 percent clip after the break, which included 19 of Evan Angstmann's 21 points.
• Defiance started the second half on a 9-4 run to grab the lead within the first 4 minutes of the second.
• Lourdes pulled ahead by as many as 6 points (54-48) with just over 11 minutes to go, but 3-pointers by Angstmann and Donovan Stone in addition to a trio of buckets by Wren Sheets had the Jackets in front 62-60 with 7 minutes to play.
• Angstamnn's team-best 21 points was his fifth performance of 20 points or better this season.
• Donovan Stone was the top contributor off the Defiance bench with 14 on a trio of 3-pointers, marking his third straight game in double digits.
• The Yellow Jackets had prime production for the 5-position all night, starting with a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double for Carter Sudhoff. It was Sudhoff's second career double-double and first of the season. The other member in the post was Wren Sheets with 9 points and 4 rebounds.

UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets travel to Indiana Tech on Saturday to play the Warriors at the Schaefer Center starting at 3 p.m. following the women's contest at 1 p.m.

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