December 3, 2016
LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Bluffton University women's basketball team won each quarter en route to a 67-44 dismantling of a quality Transylvania University squad on Saturday, Dec. 3. The Beavers stayed perfect at 5-0 overall after winning their Heartland Conference lidlifter. Transy slipped to 3-2 overall and 0-1 in the HCAC.
Seven straight counters for the Pioneers put Transy up 10-6 with just under three minutes to play in the opening stanza, but Bluffton scored the final nine points of the quarter and the first six of period two to take control of the game. Sophomore Abigail O'Donnell (Arcanum) netted eight points in less than three minutes as the Beavers opened up a 27-15 spread with six minutes to play in the first half.
Transy pulled within five less than two minutes later, but freshman LJ Olverson (Cincinnati/Princeton) dropped in a runner and Macey Sheerer (Bucyrus) snatched up a Rachel Beining (Ottoville) miss and converted a beautiful reverse layup for a 31-22 advantage. Beining and freshman TJ Mills (Dayton/Chaminade-Julienne) hit back-to-back deuces before a pair of Sheerer free throws pushed the lead to 15 (37-22). The Pioneers drained five free throws in the final minutes to make the score 37-27 at the break.
Old-fashioned three-point plays by Kaycee Rowe (Harrod/Allen East) and Beining helped expand the cushion to 44-29 early in the third quarter. Eight straight points by the visitors, including buckets by Jessica Boggan (Cincinnati/Princeton) and Chelsea Moore (Delaware/Olentangy) made the score 57-39 heading to the final 10 minutes of action.
Bluffton held the Pioneers to five paltry points in the final period and Kaycee Rowe added the exclamation point with two late hoops as the Beavers capped off a convincing 67-44 road win in the Heartland Conference opener.
Leading the Beavers with her second double-double of the season was Macey Sheerer who posted team highs of 14 points and 11 boards. She was a perfect 8-of-8 at the line and ripped down six offensive rebounds. Abigail O'Donnell was the MVP of the first half and she finished with 13 points, four rebounds, two assists and 6-for-6 shooting at the stripe. Rachel Beining and Kaycee Rowe dumped in 11 points apiece and TJ Mills added eight markers, three rebounds and a team-high four assists. Beining pulled down seven caroms for the victors.
Bluffton hit 24-of-56 (42.9 percent) from the field, while limiting Transy to an anemic 25 percent (11-of-44). Nearly half of the Pioneer baskets were of the three point variety (5-of-17), compared to just 1-of-6 for the Beavers. Both teams sparkled at the line with Bluffton a perfect 18-of-18 while Transy knocked down 17-of-19 for 89.5 percent. The Beavers controlled the glass with a 39-24 rebounding advantage. The home team turned it over two more times (20-18).
The Sommer Center will be the site when Bluffton welcomes Earlham College for a Heartland Conference matchup on Wednesday, Dec. 7. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. so come out and cheer on the Beavers as they go for six in a row!
-BEAVERS-
