November 21, 2017
By: Colton Steiner, sports information assistant
BLUFFTON, Ohio - After an 0-2 start on the road, the Bluffton University men’s basketball squad tipped off for the first time on their home court against the Ohio Midwestern Rams. The Beavers jumped out to a hot start and never looked back as they marched to a 79-58 win, moving to 1-2 on the season.
Bluffton went up 7-0 after ANDREW HUNTER (Arlington) drained a corner triple. Junior JARED WENTLING (Carey) got a tip-in at the 12:55 mark, pushing the spread to 16-2. The Rams cashed in with a 7-0 run, cutting the Bluffton lead to single digits at 29-20 with 3:51 to play in the half. After a quick run to go up 14, the Rams fought back to make it an eight-point game. A three by KEVIN CHRISTIE (Miamisburg/Bishop Fenwick) pushed it to 11 before KENDALL FITZGERALD split a pair of free throws for a 39-29 halftime score.
After trading baskets for the first three minutes of period two, the Beavers went up 50-35 following layups by Kevin Christie and DEZMAN BROWN (Elyria). With 10:49 on the clock, the Beavers used a 7-0 spurt for a commanding 66-45 advantage. The home team drained back-to-back threes to go up 74-53 with 4:38 left in regulation. Bluffton would hit one more three as Andrew Hunter connected from the wing to cap off a 79-58 win over the Rams.
Pouring in a career-high of 26 points was Kevin Christie who also grabbed five rebounds while dishing out five assists. Jared Wentling notched his eighth career double-double with 13 points and 10 boards. Freshman Dezman Brown put up 11 points in his first game on Copeland Court.
Bluffton hit 50 percent (30-of-60) from the field, including 10-of-24 (41.7 percent) from behind the arc. While Bluffton was all over the glass and outrebounded the Rams, 46-26, the home team struggled to hold on to the basketball as they committed 21 turnovers.
The Beavers will be back on the road when they travel to Kalamazoo College on Wednesday, Nov. 29 with a tip-off set for 7:30. Bluffton holds a slim 7-6 edge in the all-time series with the Hornets. You can keep up with all of the Bluffton Beaver sports updates at blufftonbeavers.com or on Twitter at @Bluffton_Sports.
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