DC mounts monstrous second half to tame UM-Dearborn

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Defiance Yellow Jackets posted a 60-point second half to overcome a 5-point halftime deficit and defeated the Michigan-Dearborn Wolverines, 93-80, at the Karl H. Weaner Center on Saturday.

The Yellow Jackets (12-13, 7-13 WHAC) snapped a 3-game slide with their fourth comeback win after trailing at halftime this season. The Wolverines (6-20, 5-15 WHAC) led by as many as 8 points in the first half and shot 46 percent in the losing effort.

A close game broke in UM-Dearborn's direction 7 minutes into the action after and they did not trail the remainder of the half. Just before halftime, the Wolverines led by 7 points before Carter Sudhoff added a late bucket before heading into the locker room. Defiance struggled from the floor in the first half, shooting 34 percent and were outrebounded 20-15. 

The second half was a completely different story as the Yellow Jackets shot 66 percent and commanded the glass, 19-9, after halftime. Defiance's charge kicked into gear with 14:35 remaining, starting with a go-ahead layup by Evan Angstmann. Defiance never surrendered the lead and embarked on a 20-4 run. Donovan Stone and Christian Burton caught fire during that stretch by adding 7 points with 1 3-pointer each. The Jackets led by as many as 15 following the under-5 media timeout and made the Wolverines pay for 19 fouls with a 24-for-27 showing at the free throw line.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Defiance's 60 points in the second half were the most in any half this season. The team's 65.5 percent shooting percentage in the second half was also a superlative for the year.
• The team's 93-point output was the third time the Yellow Jackets broke the 90-point barrier this year.
• DC won all the hustle categories as well - winning the rebounding margin 39-32, took care of the ball with 7 total turnovers, and shot 27 free throws compared to UM-Dearborn's 17.
• The Purple and Gold enjoyed its best day at the free throw line all season, making a season-high 24 shots on 27 attempts for a season-best 89 percent.
• Defiance canned 9 3-pointers for the third game in a row, led by Evan Angstmann's 4 trifectas. Angstmann's 74 3-pointers for the season are 12 shy of the program single-season record.
• Angstmann led the Jackets with 28 points, which is his 6th 20-point effort across January and February. 
• Christian Burton came away with 17 points and dished off 8 assists. He eclipsed 150 assists for the season during the win to become just the 7th player in program history to do so.
• Carter Sudhoff posted a season-high 18 points, which included 11 after halftime. He went 3-for-4 from the floor and 4-for-4 at the free throw line in the second half after missing 5 attempts in the first half. The sophomore also sank his first 3-pointer of the season during the second half surge.
• Donovan Stone joined that group in double figures with 15 points off the bench, accounting for all but 6 bench points that were scored by Wren Sheets.
• Carder Orr was strong on the boards, hauling in a team-high 8 rebounds while scoring 5 points.

UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets host the Cleary Cougars on Wednesday night with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff at the Karl H. Weaner Center.

-JACKETS-