Men's Basketball Drops Conference Opener at Defiance

DEFIANCE, OH - In a tight WHAC opener, UNOH fell short in their first trip to Defiance taking an 86-80 loss Wednesday night.

Despite a 31-point performance from Ryan Archey, UNOH struggled for control going back and forth the first half before settling in with a 40-36 Racer advantage at halftime. Defiance stayed step-for-step with the Racers for the first eight minutes of the second half and finally worked themselves in front, 55-54 with 11:45 to play. The lead traded hands four more times before the Yellow Jackets took their final lead of the night, 62-60. They pushed the lead up to twelve with just over two minutes to play, but UNOH went down swinging forcing three turnovers and pulling within four points after an 11-3 run with 23 seconds remaing. Defiance knocked down two free throws to ice the game and sent the Racers home with a six-point loss.

Ryan Archey hit a career high seven three of eleven three point attempts shooting 50% on the night and racking up 31 points. Antonio King added twelve and Malachi Black chipped in eleven. Alex Benson pulled down a game and season high eleven boards to lead the team.

The Racers will head to Aquinas next for the second of four straight road games taking on the Saints Friday night at 6:00 PM.