Defiance, OH – On what was a record setting day, the Transylvania women's basketball team fought back from a first-half deficit to defeat the Defiance Yellow Jackets 77–67 at the Weaner Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Pioneers had four players to reach double figures on the day. Shawn Kolani continued her run of big-time performances with 16 points, 14 of which came in the second half, and six assists. Celia Kline and Lindsay Hieronymus each added 10 points in the game for the Pioneers.

However, this day belonged to Katelyn Smith and head Coach Juli Fulks. Smith's 23 points on the day not only sealed the victory for the Pioneers, but it also gave her sole possession of Transylvania's all-time scoring record. Coming into today, Smith needed 21 points to surpass the previous record of 1,920 points, held by 2015 grad Nicole Coffman. It was also a big day for Coach Fulks. With the Pioneers victory, Fulks now has 200 career wins as a head coach.

The game itself was also full of action. Both teams got off to hot starts, and after trading baskets for several minutes the score was tied at 9-all. Transylvania would go cold from the field, allowing Defiance to go on a 7-0 run, pushing their lead to 16-9 at the four minute mark of the first quarter.

A jump shot by Smith ended the scoring drought for the Pioneers, and a 3-pointer by Kline pulled Transylvania to within one point of Defiance, forcing the home team to call a time out. A pair of free-throws by Taylor Jackson pushed the Pioneers back in front, but a 3-point basket by Erica Smay at the buzzer left the score at 23-23 after one quarter of action.

The second quarter would get off to a slow start for the Pioneers. After suffering through a five-minute scoring drought, Transylvania would find themselves down 35-30 with four minutes left in the first half. The Pioneers would find the bottom of the net one more time before the break, bringing the halftime score to 38-32 in favor of Defiance.

After a somewhat sluggish first half, the Pioneer shooters finally woke up. Kolani would find her stroke, scoring seven points in the first three minutes of the quarter to bring the score to 44-43. Stifling defense by the Pioneers proved to be too much for Defiance, as Transylvania outscored the Jackets 9-0 over the final 7:42 of the third quarter.

Katelyn Smith had a tremendous second half for the Pioneers, setting the all-time scoring mark in the process. After scoring only eight points in the first half, Smith willed the team to victory with a 15-point second half. No points were bigger for Smith than the two she scored off of a sweet jump shot with 3:01 left in the third quarter. This bucket was the one that broke the Transylvania scoring record, and effectively ended the night for Defiance.

With the win, Transylvania remains in third place in the HCAC standings. The Pioneers find themselves only one game out of first place with two games remaining in the regular season, Their record now stands at 13-3 in-conference and 17-6 overall.

Next up the Pioneers will pay a visit to Franklin, who they currently lead by a game in the HCAC standings for third place, on Wednesday night in a key matchup with postseason implications. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at The Harrington Center in Cincinnati.

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