February 22, 2017
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BLUFFTON, Ohio - The #2-seeded Bluffton University women are riding a wave of six straight victories into the semifinals of the Heartland Conference Tournament. Transylvania downed Defiance College, 70-58, in the Beck Center on Tuesday night, moving into Friday night's matchup with Bluffton University at Hulbert Arena. Rose-Hulman finished the HCAC regular season with a 17-1 mark, earning the right to host the tournament. The Engineers welcome #5 seed Franklin College in the first semifinal at Hulbert Arena (6 PM Friday).
The Beavers rolled up a 49-24 advantage at halftime en route to a dominating 88-54 victory over visiting Earlham College on December 7 in the Sommer Center. MACEY SHEERER (Bucyrus) helped the visitors complete the season sweep at Earlham when she dropped in 17 counters and eclipsed 1,000 career points last Wednesday night!
The Bluffton women welcomed Hanover College for the final home game of the 2016-17 season this past Saturday. Bluffton recognized seniors JESSICA BOGGAN (Cincinnati/Princeton), ASHLEY SALYER (Marion/River Valley) and RACHEL BEINING (Ottoville) as they played their final game on Copeland Court. It was one to remember as the Beavers secured the win, 83-68, to finish the regular season 21-4 overall and 15-3 in the HCAC. Hanover still holds a marked 30-11 edge in the all-time series, but the Beavers have won the past four meetings and five of the last eight. Bluffton's 81-71 victory at Collier Arena in the 2015-16 regular season finale set the stage for a monumental coin flip that went Franklin's way, sending the Heartland Conference tournament to #1 seed Bluffton!
Transylvania has dominated the all-time series with Bluffton to the tune of a 28-6 advantage, however, four of Bluffton's six victories have come in the last five meetings. The Beavers knocked Transy out of the HCAC tournament in the semifinals last season and followed that up with a convincing 67-44 win at the Beck Center in December. A quick start and a solid finish were the keys as the Beavers capped a season sweep with a convincing 77-62 victory in the Sommer Center just three weeks ago. It marked the first time that the Beavers have swept the regular season series!
A victory over Transylvania in the 8 p.m. contest on Friday would mean a 2nd straight HCAC title shot against the winner of #1 seed Rose-Hulman and #5 seed Franklin College. The Engineers are a perfect 6-0 against the HCAC field this season. Bluffton swept both Transylvania and Franklin, while the Pioneers were victorious in both contests against FC.
The Beavers have three of the top six scorers in the Heartland Conference. Sheerer is 3rd with 14.6 PPG and her 83.1 FT percentage (128-154) is 4th in the conference. She is moving up the all-time lists at Bluffton with 558 career rebounds (8th) and 1,032 points (9th). Sheerer is shooting 35.8 percent from distance (24-of-67) while her 6.8 RPG is 6th in the HCAC. Also cementing her mark in the record books is senior standout Rachel Beining. The four-year starter in the post is the all-time leading rebounder with 779 career boards and she moved into 3rd on the all-time scoring list with 1,146 counters! Beining is averaging 13.6 PPG (6th HCAC) and 7.8 RPG (3rd HCAC) while her 44 blocks are 2nd in the HCAC and her 52.8 FG percentage is 3rd in the conference.
Kaycee Rowe (Harrod/Allen East) leads the HCAC and is currently 5th in the NCAA Division III with an 89.8 free throw percentage (97-of-108). Her 3.5 assists per game are 3rd in the conference while her 2.4 steals per game are 2nd in the HCAC. The junior sensation is 4th in the conference with 14.4 PPG and 12th with 5.6 RPG. Freshman TJ Mills (Dayton/Chaminade-Julienne) gets the Beavers into the offense with 3.1 APG (7th in the HCAC), but she is even more valuable on the other end by keeping the opposition from getting comfortable with the ball. Junior Abigail O'Donnell (Arcanum) has given the Beavers a mid-range scoring threat, contributing 6.8 PPG to go along with her 5.5 RPG (13th in the HCAC).
The Beavers lead the Heartland Conference with 69.5 PPG and the defense is a stout 2nd at 55.8 PPG, giving Bluffton the 2nd-best average margin of victory (13.7 PPG) in the HCAC. The women have been solid at the free throw line, converting 407-of-573 (71.0 percent) which is 2nd in the Heartland Conference.
To the victor of the Heartland Conference tournament go the spoils and the spoils are a berth in the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament. Continue to check the schedule page and Bluffton Athletics Twitter account for updates on game times, live stats and video as the Beavers look for their second straight HCAC tournament championship!
-BEAVERS-
