DEFIANCE, OH – The Defiance College men's basketball team utilized a dominating first half effort to secure a 78-55 win over Bluffton Sunday, claiming the school's third Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament title. 

The top seed Yellow Jackets outscored the Beavers 45-27 in the first half in route to a 78-55 win at the Weaner Center. Defiance claims the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament set to begin next week, earning its first trip to the NCAA field since 2010.

Defiance (21-6) shot the ball well from the field, posting a shooting percentage of 56.4% in the win.  The Jackets connected on 13 of their 26 attempts from behind the arc.

Leading the way for Defiance was senior forward Bernard Edwards (Detroit, Mich./Warren Cousino).  Edwards led the scoring attack with 25 points on 10-of-20 shooting.  The senior added nine rebounds, earning the tournament Most Valuable Player award for his efforts

DC's Travis Schomaeker (Ottawa, Ohio/Ottawa-Glandorf) added three points, four rebounds, and 10 assists in the win, earning a spot on the all-tournament team.  Junior forward Wade Wooley (Wauseon, Ohio/H.S.) joined Edwards and Schomaeker on the all-tourney squad, adding 10 points with eight rebounds.

Bluffton (16-12) was represented on the all-tournament team by juniors Thayne Recker (Arlington, Ohio/H.S.) and Billy Taflinger (Lima, Ohio/Central Catholic).  Recker led the Beavers with 22 points and seven rebounds, while Taflinger added nine points and four rebounds in the title game loss Sunday.

Hanover's Kyle James (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central) earned the final spot on the all-tournament squad.

Defiance will await its first round opponent in the NCAA Division III Tournament until the bracket is released. The announcement of the Division III men's basketball field will be presented via webcast on www.ncaa.com beginning at 12:30 PM Monday.

Men's Tournament Results

Friday, Feb. 27 (Opening Round at DC)
Game 1 - #6 Bluffton vs. #3 Anderson
Bluffton, 98-93 OT
Game 2 - #5 Hanover vs. #4 Rose-Hulman
Hanover, 65-63

Saturday, Feb. 28 (Semifinals at DC)
Game 3 - #1 Defiance vs. #5 Hanover
Defiance, 65-50
Game 4 - #2 Mount St. Joseph vs. #6 Bluffton
Bluffton, 64-52

Sunday, Mar. 1 (Championship at DC)
Championship - Defiance vs. Bluffton
Defiance, 78-55