Anderson Shuts Down Defiance

The Anderson University women's basketball team shut down Defiance College with a 55-41 victory during Wednesday's Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) matchup at O.C. Lewis Gymnasium.
 
"This was one of those must win games for us and I am so proud of the way our players handled themselves under pressure," Coach Lindsay Shade said. "We knew it was going to be a grind and, in order for us to come out on top, we had to have a different rebounding mentality."
 
Rebounding played a key role in Wednesday's game as Anderson (7-11, 3-8) outrebounded Defiance (6-12, 5-6) by a 46-35 margin.
 
"In their five conference losses they were averaging 32.5 rebounds and in their five conference wins, they were averaging 42.5 rebounds. That is a really large discrepancy and we only average 32 rebounds a game in conference play. It was a tremendous team effort to control that aspect of the game."
 
Anderson converted 16-of-46 (34.8 percent) shots from the field and 4-of-14 (28.6 percent) attempts from 3-point range. The Ravens held the Yellow Jackets to 26.7 percent (16-of-60) from the floor and 11.1 percent (2-of-18) from behind the arc.

Lexi Dellinger tallied a team-high 19 points and pulled down eight rebounds.
 
Payton Moore scored eight points. The 6-foot sophomore center from Spiceland led the Ravens with 10 rebounds and a career-high five blocks.
 
Jade Shipley contributed 15 points. Hannah Hawkins recorded six points and four blocks. Rylee Morris provided three points and Hanna Ault added two points. Allie Owens and Mariah Clemons each rounded out the Anderson scoring effort with one point apiece.
 
"I am so pleased with the physical and mental toughness our players showed. Our defense was fantastic for three quarters. We had a rough start to the third quarter and let our lead slip away, but we stayed poised, composed and several players made big plays down the stretch. I'm really proud of our players and the way they have continued to stay the course."
 
Anderson hosts Earlham College (5-13, 4-7) in an HCAC matchup on Saturday at 1 p.m. in O.C. Lewis Gymnasium.