Schmersal Takes Three-Point Title in 81-56 Win at Earlham

RICHMOND, Ind. – The Lady Jackets weathered a hot start by Earlham on Wednesday evening before walking away with an 81-56 victory and an 8-7 mark in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Earlham remains winless on the season with the loss.

Earlham's offense, which ranks eighth in the HCAC with 54.8 points per game, looked like an offensive juggernaut in the opening minutes, hitting its first five shots of the game, with three coming from beyond the arc. The Quakers' hot start saw the Jackets trailing by eight points less than three minutes into the opening period.

However, the Jackets would respond with a 14-4 run capped by a Courtney Schmersal three-pointer at the 12:53 mark that gave Defiance its first lead in nearly six minutes. The three-pointer was Schmersal's 143rd of her career, giving the senior guard the most three-point field goals in program history. The momentum changed and Defiance took control from that point.

The Jackets closed the half on an extended 20-4 run over the last eight and a half minutes before taking a 15-point advantage into halftime. The lead would grow to as many as 33 points in the second half as Defiance shot 43.8 percent from the field and hit six-of-11 shots from down town.

Defiance recorded a season-high 15 three-pointers in the game, with nine different players chipping in from long range. The sharp shooting helped Defiance to post its third game north of the 80-point mark in its last four contests.

Tasha Stucke led all scorers with 16 points in the game on six-of-nine shooting. The senior point guard has now scored in double digits in five of her last six contests.

The Lady Jackets will play host to the College of Mount St. Joseph (5-16; 5-10 HCAC) on Saturday, Feb. 12. Tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m.