December 19, 2017
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio - The Bluffton University women's basketball team scored its sixth straight win at John Carroll on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017. Bluffton improved to 7-1 following the 71-54 victory, while the Blue Streaks slipped to 2-7 on the season.
A 13-0 spurt over a 5:30 span the stemmed halftime proved to be the difference as Bluffton scored the final seven points of the first stanza for a 35-28 lead at the break. The Beavers rolled off six more counters to start period three, including four from senior Kaycee Rowe (Harrod/Allen East), as the visitors opened up a 41-28 spread at the 7:44 mark.
John Carroll responded with seven straight markers, but TJ Mills (Dayton/Chaminade-Julienne) banked home a three from straightaway and fellow sophomore DJ Keesey (Cadiz/Harrison Central) got to the rack for a 53-42 advantage going to the final stanza. Mills hit a runner, pushing the spread to 13 early in the fourth quarter.
The home team pulled within single digits at the seven-minute mark, but Bluffton capped off the victory with a 14-6 edge down the stretch for a 71-54 victory in the fourth straight road game for the Beavers.
Macey Sheerer (Bucyrus) was the story in the first half, lighting up the Blue Streaks for 20 points on a blazing 8-of-9 from the field! She finished with a game-high 25 points, passing Kim Miller while moving up to #2 on Bluffton's career scoring list. Sheerer has 1,189 career tallies and she trails Tanya Rickenberg by just 52 points. The sensational senior also chipped in six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Putting up 16 points and 12 boards for her eighth career double double was Kaycee Rowe who converted 8-of-10 at the charity stripe. Mills and Abigail O'Donnell (Arcanum) added 10 and eight points, respectively, while Rowe and O'Donnell picked up four thefts apiece.
John Carroll pulled down nine more rebounds (42-33), but the home team turned it over 27 times to just 14 for the Beavers. Bluffton hit 26-of-60 from the field (43.3 percent) and both teams struggled at the line with the Beavers converting 15-of-27 (55.6 percent) and Blue Streaks 6-of-14 (42.9 percent).
Bluffton is off until the McDonald's Holiday Tournament on Friday, Dec. 29, when the Beavers welcome Alma College at 5 p.m. before a Dec. 30 matchup with #7 Hope College. Those contests are the first of six straight games in the Sommer Center for the Bluffton women who don't hit the road again until Saturday, Jan. 13, when they travel to Terre Haute, Ind. for a showdown with 2017 HCAC champion Rose-Hulman.
-BEAVERS-
