The Bluffton University women's basketball team trailed 66-64 with the ball out of bounds and 3.7 ticks on the clock before sophomore TJ Mills (Dayton/ Chaminade-Julienne) took the inbounds pass and calmly drilled a 25-footer for a stunning 67-66 victory over #7 Ohio Northern.
It marked the first clash with ONU since 2000 and just the 4th win in 28 meetings with the Polar Bears.
Bluffton trailed 60-50 with just five minutes to play when the Beavers started to chip away at the ONU lead. Senior Macey Sheerer (Bucyrus) got out in front following a Kaycee Rowe (Allen East) steal and made it 60-52 before a hoop-and-harm for Mills pulled Bluffton within five at 60-55.
Four Bluffton free throws and an Abigail O'Donnell (Arcanum) chip shot made it a one-point game at 62-61 and Sheerer hit one of two at the line to tie the game with 1:47 to play.
The Beavers went ahead 64-63 thanks to a Kaycee Rowe bucket, but an Emily Mescher hoop and Amy Bullimore freebie had ONU on the verge of going up by three points.
Bullimore missed the second toss and a Bluffton timeout with 3.7 seconds remaining allowed the Beavers to advance the ball into the frontcourt. Mills took the inbounds pass and created enough space to launch the game-winner just before being mobbed by all of her teammates.
Macey Sheerer led all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field. Rowe and O'Donnell were also in double figures with 13 and 12 markers, respectively. Sheerer and Rowe handed out four assists apiece, while Mills bucketed eight points to go along with three steals.
Bluffton struggled at the foul line, converting just 16-of-29 for 55.2 percent, The Beavers hit 22-of-64 from the field for a paltry 34.4 FG percentage, but the Beavers knocked down seven triples while holding ONU to a 0-of-5 night from distance.
Ohio Northern dominated the glass with a 51-26 advantage, however, Bluffton finished with 17 fewer turnovers (23-6).
The Beavers will be back on the court at 4 p.m. Ohio time on Saturday, Nov. 18, when they take on tournament host North Park, a 76-48 winner over St. Mary's College in the Friday opener.
