December 16, 2016
Franklin women Live Stats I Franklin men Live Stats
BLUFFTON, Ohio - For the next two weeks the Bluffton University cagers will make the Sommer Center their home as the women play six consecutive games in Bluffton while the men have three straight in Allen County. The women host Heartland Conference stalwart Franklin College on Saturday and the College of Wooster on Tuesday, Dec. 20, before the McDonald's Holiday Tournament on Dec. 29-30. The Franklin men will also be in town for a 4 p.m. tip on Saturday with the men hosting their 19th McDonald's Tournament on Dec. 30-31.
Franklin has dominated the series with Bluffton's women by a 34-6 count, but the Beavers have turned the tables in recent years with three straight victories and four wins in the past six meetings. Bluffton has been victorious in the last three Sommer Center clashes, including a 75-56 win back on January 23. When the Beavers downed Franklin in the Spurlock Center last season, it marked the first-ever road victory by Bluffton since the series inception in 1999. Bluffton will then look for their 11th win in the past 12 meetings with the Fighting Scots when the Beavers host Wooster on Tuesday, Dec. 20, at 5 p.m.
Following a short break for Christmas, the women welcome an outstanding field for their 4th annual McDonald's Holiday Tournament. The women take on Centre in the December 29 nightcap at 7 p.m. with nationally-ranked #6 St. Thomas (Minn.) and #7 Hope duking it out in a battle of unbeatens at 5 p.m. The winners meet at 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 30, following a noon consolation game for the women. The Beavers are also at home for MSJ on Wednesday, Jan. 4, before the six-game homestand wraps up with Anderson on Saturday, Jan. 7, at 2 p.m.
Bluffton has two of the top three scorers in the conference as well as three of the top 10. Senior Rachel Beining (Ottoville) leads the way with 15.1 PPG on a red-hot 47-of-89 from the field (52.8 percent). Junior MACEY SHEERER (Bucyrus) is 3rd in the HCAC with 15.0 PPG thanks to 41-of-46 (89.1 percent) from the line. Junior Kaycee Rowe (Harrod/Allen East) is 25-of-28 (89.3 percent) at the stripe for 11.9 PPG and she is stuffing the stat sheet with team highs of 23 assists and 20 steals. Sheerer and Beining are pulling down 7.6 (5th in HCAC) and 6.3 RPG (6th in HCAC), respectively. Rowe's assists and steals have her in the top five for the conference. Junior Abigail O'Donnell (Arcanum) is scoring 5.9 PPG while pulling down 5.0 RPG. Freshman signal-caller TJ Mills (Dayton/Chaminade-Julienne) has been key to Bluffton's 6-1 start, harassing the opposition on the defensive end while dropping in 9.7 PPG to go along with her 16 assists and 14 steals.
The Beavers are third the Heartland Conference with 71.7 PPG and the defense is third at 56.7 PPG giving Bluffton the best average margin of victory (15.0 PPG) in the HCAC. The women have been outstanding at the free throw line, converting 124-of-160 (77.5 percent) which is second in the Heartland Conference. Sheerer, Rowe and Beining are all hitting over 85 percent, combining for 78-of-88 (88.6 percent) at the stripe. A 2-0 start in the Sommer Center has the women on a school-record 18-game home winning streak, dating back nearly 23 months to January 31, 2015 when Hanover defeated the home team 96-86.
Women's Basketball McDonald's Holiday Tournament Webpage I Men's Basketball McDonald's Holiday Tournament Webpage
The Bluffton men welcome a Franklin College squad that the Beavers have swept the past two seasons. Seven victories in the last 11 meetings have helped Bluffton to close the gap with Franklin holding a 27-14 advantage in the all-time series. The Grizzlies enter the Sommer Center with a 3-4 mark (1-2 HCAC) this season. They are coming off their first Heartland Conference victory, a 76-68 home win over Earlham College three days after Bluffton held off the Quakers, 88-87, in overtime.
A week off following Saturday's clash with Franklin will allow the men (6-2, 1-2 HCAC) to recharge their batteries heading into the McDonald's Holiday Tournament. Bluffton tips off with Ohio Midwestern at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 30, with the consolation and championship games to follow at noon and 2 p.m. on New Years Eve. Grove City and Muskingum are slated for a 2 p.m. contest on the other side of the bracket Friday afternoon.
Senior Austin Rohde (Shelby), who eclipsed 900 career points at Earlham, is 3rd in the Heartland Conference with 19.6 PPG. He is hitting 50.0 percent from the field (57-of-114) and 81.6 percent (31-of-38) at the line. Rohde leads the team with 13 steals. The career-high 27 points he dropped at Earlham is no fluke as sophomore Jared Wentling (Carey) is bucketing 14.9 PPG to go along with his team-high 6.9 RPG (8th in the HCAC). He has been north of 14 points in each of the last four games. Elchert's 5.0 APG is tops in the Heartland Conference and he is 2nd on the team with 11 pilfers.
Also lighting it up from outside the arc are freshman Andrew Renner (Cairo/Bath), 4th in the HCAC at 47.4 percent, and sophomore Martin Maksvytis (Dayton/Franklin-Monroe), 5th in the HCAC at 47.1 percent. Renner and Elchert are dropping in 10.6 and 9.1 PPG, respectively. Senior Adam Hopkins (Wellington/Keystone) has been efficient off the bench, hitting 20-of-28 from the field for a team-best 71.4 FG percentage.
Bluffton is third the Heartland Conference with a 48.8 FG percentage (197-of-397) and the Beavers 36.9 percentage from deep is 2nd in the HCAC. Their 16.8 assists per game also lead the conference. Bluffton is currently 4th in the conference from the free throw line, knocking down 111-of-154 for 72.1 percent on charity tosses. Sophomore Justis Dowdy (Van Wert/Lincolnview) is 18-of-26 from the field (69.2 percent) while Kevin Christie (Miamisburg/Bishop Fenwick) has doled out 20 assists for the Beavers. Andrew Hunter (Arlington) and Maksvytis have 17 and 16 helpers, respectively.
Come out and root for a pair of Bluffton University basketball teams that have combined for a 12-3 mark heading into the holiday season! The first doubleheader of the year is slated for 2 and 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17. Following the women's non-conference matchup with Wooster on Tuesday, Dec. 20, they will be back on Copeland Court at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 29, when they take on Centre as part of the McDonald's Holiday Tournament. The men do battle with Ohio Midwestern at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 30, after the women's championship game which is slated for 5 p.m. The temperatures may be cold outside, but the hoops action inside will be hot as the calendar is ready to turn the page!
-BEAVERS-
