By Keisha Holtsberry, sports information assistant
Stats http://www.bluffton.edu/sports/mensbasketball/2012/02-01-mb.htm
The Bluffton University men's basketball defeated Mount St. Joseph with a thrilling 74-64 OT victory on Wednesday, Feb. 1. The Beavers improved to 14-6 overall and 8-5 in the HCAC with their fourth straight win. MSJ fell to 7-13 overall and 3-10 in the HCAC.
The Beavers went up by four at the 16:14 mark with back-to-back hoops from senior Brent Farley (Lima/Shawnee). Four minutes later, the Lions pulled ahead by two before consecutive chip shots by sophomore Will Pope (Somerville/Preble Shawnee) made the score 8-8.
The Lions took control, opening a nine-point cushion with six minutes left in the first half. The Beavers fought hard and tied the game with four seconds left after a 15-6 scoring run. With one second left, the Beavers took advantage of an MSJ technical when senior Mychal Hill (London/Jon. Alder) drained two more charity tosses for a 27-25 lead at the break.
Senior Nick Lee (Mt. Blanchard/Vanlue) opened up the second half scoring with a three-pointer. The Beavers pushed the lead to five following a Farley bucket, but the Lions roared back with 10 straight markers for a 39-34 lead at the 14:16 mark. The Lions controlled the scoreboard for most of the second half but the Beavers never let the deficit get to more than six.
At the 4:09 mark, a three-pointer by Hill trimmed the Lions lead to just one. A Nate Heckelman (Norwalk) layup from Farley put the Beavers up by one. With 1:55 left in regulation, the Lions tied the game for the fifth time and then went up when Andy Countryman hit from deep. Lee answered just 21 seconds later, knotting the game at 58. MSJ was unable to get a clean look at the basket during the final nine seconds as the teams needed another five minutes to decide the outcome.
The Beavers took an early lead in the overtime with a jumper by Farley. MSJ tied the game up for the seventh and final time at the 4:25 mark. Farley responded with two more layups to put Bluffton up by four. Five freebies and a Hill jumper in the paint put the Beavers up by 10 with 55 seconds left. The Lions managed to cut the Bluffton lead to eight before two foul shots by junior Josh Fisher made the final score 74-64.
Farley led the Beavers with 16 points with Pope and Hill contributing 14 and 12, respectively. Bluffton pounded MSJ in the paint, outscoring the visitors 40-16. Heckelman led the visitors with seven boards. Lee and Pope each contributed five rebounds. Lee doled out a career-high six assists and Heckelman dished out four.
Bluffton finished the night a blistering 26-of-47 (55.3 percent) on field goals, compared to an MSJ squad that went 24-of-50 (48.0 percent) from the field. Bluffton was 5-of-14 (35.7 percent) from behind the arc, while the Lions were a sensational 12-of-24 (50.0 percent). The home team was an outstanding 17-of-20 (85.0 percent) at the line, while The Mount converted just 4-of-12 (33.3 percent) free throws. The Beavers finished with a 30-23 edge on the glass.
The Bluffton University men return to action on Saturday, Feb. 4, when the Beavers host Anderson University. The Alumni and Hall of Fame Day Contest is slated for 1 p.m.
