February 10, 2016
By: Ryan Schadewald, sports information assistant
BLUFFTON, Ohio - The #24 Bluffton University women’s basketball team capitalized on a great first half of basketball and held on for a 74-60 victory over rival Defiance College on Wednesday, Feb. 10 in the Sommer Center. It added up to win number 20 on the season as the Beavers continue to shatter the school record! Bluffton improved to 20-2 and remain in a tie atop the HCAC at 13-2 on the season, while the Yellow Jackets fell to 6-16 and 5-10 in conference play. The 13 HCAC victories also established a new record, surpassing the 12-6 mark from a season ago!
The crowd turnout was sensational for 'Hop on board' night as money raised from various activities during the games will be used to help junior Adam Hopkins as he fights lymphoma. Thanks to everyone who played a part in helping to make the night a success.
The Beavers were hot from the start, going on a 14-4 run to open the contest as four different women hit shots in the first five minutes of the quarter. The Yellow Jackets would quickly cut the lead to six, before back-to-back buckets from Abigail O’Donnell (Arcanum) handed the Beavers a double-digit lead again. Bluffton would finish off an 8-2 spurt with a third jumper from O’Donnell and a layup by Taylor Knight (Perrysburg) for a 22-10 spread. Defiance trimmed it to 24-15 after 10 minutes of action.
The second period was dominated by the Beavers, much like the first. With the lead at nine points with 7:17 showing on the clock, the Beavers closed the half scoring the final 15 markers, getting points from six different women to put the home team fully in control with a 43-19 advantage.
Momentum began to swing in the third period after a Kaycee Rowe (Harrod/Allen East) bucket made it 45-19. Defiance responded with 13 straight points, 11 of those coming from Kelsey Teitje and the Beaver lead was cut to 45-32 until a big Macey Sheerer (Bucyrus) triple broke the run. The period ended with a Tietje layup, giving her 15 markers in the quarter and 24 on the night as the Beaver lead was 52-37 after three.
Defiance continued their push in the fourth, scoring eight of the first 10 points to cut the lead to single digits (54-45) with 6:20 to play. The visitors from up north continued to push the issue, pulling within seven twice in the final three minutes, but Bluffton knocked home some key free throws down the stretch to finish the game with a 74-60 victory over their arch-rivals. Tietje also finished the final quarter with 13 tallies for a game-high 37 in the loss.
It was a tale of two halves shooting the basketball, as the Beavers connected for 45.9 percent (17-of-37) in the opening stanza, including 1-of-4 from deep. In the second half, Bluffton was an ice-cold 7-of-27 (25.9 percent) and took twice as many triples (1-for-8). On the contest, the Beavers shot 37.5 percent (24-of-64) from the floor and 14.3 percent (2-of-14) from deep, while nailing a key 80 percent (24-of-30) at the line. The Yellow Jackets converted 37.3 percent (25-of-67) from the floor and also struggled from the outside, shooting just 2-of-18 (11.1 percent). The Beavers handled the boards, 47-38, while committing five fewer turnovers (15-10).
The home team was led by Macey Sheerer with a key double-double, scoring 17 points on 4-of-9 shooting and 8-of-10 from the foul line. Sheerer also grabbed 14 rebounds, 10 of them coming from the offensive glass. Taylor Whitaker (Mansfield/Lexington) added 13 markers on the night, giving her 996 career counters. Rachel Beining (Ottoville) chipped in 12 points, nine boards and three stuffs for the Beavers.
Defiance had just one scorer in double figures, as Kelsey Tietje tied her career-high with 37 markers on 15-of-26 from the floor and a perfect 7-for-7 at the charity stripe. Tietje also grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds and added three blocks. Tietje’s wingmate was Whitney Schalk who added 10 assists, most of them to Tietje during her big second half.
The Beavers return to action at home on Saturday, Feb. 13, as the Anderson University Ravens come to town for another HCAC battle. The game is set to tip at 2 p.m. in the Sommer Center. Come support your Beavers!
