December 16, 2017
FRANKLIN, Ind. - It took until the final buzzer in overtime, but the Bluffton University men walked away victorious, 86-83, capping off a sweep of the Grizzlies on Saturday, Dec. 16. Bluffton improved to 3-5 overall and 2-2 in the Heartland Conference, while Franklin fell to 2-7 and 1-3 in the HCAC.
Junior Jared Wentling (Carey) dialed long distance 22 seconds into the extra session for a 75-72 Bluffton lead thanks to an assist from senior Kevin Christie (Miamisburg/Bishop Fenwick). A hoop and harm by Andrew Renner (Lima/Bath) made it 79-75 before two more Renner freebies pushed the Bluffton edge to six points with just under two minutes to play. Franklin closed to within a point at 81-80 before Christie found Wentling for an easy deuce. Two Renner makes at the stripe and a Christie free throw with one second on the clock sealed the 86-83 victory for the Beavers!
Senior captain Andrew Hunter (Arlington) nearly doubled his career high of 13 points with a game-high 25 markers on 7-of-12 shooting from the field. He also drilled a career-best five triples on just 10 attempts. Wentling knocked down 8-of-16 for 21 points. Renner and Christie went for 14 points apiece. Christie dished out a game-high eight assists, while Renner doled out six dimes to go along with his career-high nine boards.
Bluffton hit 28-of-66 (42.4 percent) from the field, compared to 33-of-63 (52.4 percent) for the home team. The Beavers went 9-of-26 (34.6 percent), while Franklin was an efficient 8-of-17 (47.1 percent) from beyond the arc. The visitors (21-of-30) made hay at the free throw line, making four more shots than Franklin (9-of-17) attempted. FC pulled down six more rebounds (42-36) but the Grizzlies coughed it up 11 more times (17-6).
The Beavers are back on the road at Hiram for a non-conference showdown on Wednesday, Dec. 20, at 7 p.m.
-BEAVERS-
