The Bluffton University women's basketball team traveled to Olivet College for a Saturday afternoon matchup on Nov. 16, 2019. The Beavers secured a 62-59 victory over the Comets thanks to a 6-0 jag over the final 42 seconds. Bluffton stays perfect at 2-0 following the victory.
Two Olivet buckets gave the home team an early 4-0 lead. A pair of freebies from sophomore Brianna Gillig (New Riegel) and a Sammy Shardo (Findlay/Liberty-Benton) three-ball gave the Beavers a 5-4 lead. Two more Shardo shots from distance paired with two fouls shots by Nora Hemminger (McComb) gave the Beavers a 24-21 lead at the half.
Shardo and Hemminger triples pushed Bluffton's lead to seven before a 7-0 run from the Comets tied the game up at 30-30. An Olivet three and layup gave the home team a 44-40 lead going into the last syanza. Despite Olivet being up by as many as nine points, a strong offensive presence capped off by two Tj Mills (Dayton/Chaminade-Julienne) makes from the charity stripe secured the Bluffton victory.
Shardo led the Beaver offense with 17 points thanks to 5-of-10 shooting from outside the arc. Gillig and Hemminger both chipped in 12 counters. Mills doled out a game-high seven dimes, while Gillig ripped down a team-high nine boards.
Bluffton went 19-of-59 (32.2 percent) from the field. Both teams struggled from distance as Bluffton knocked down 6-of-23 (26.1 percent), compared to Olivet's 4-of-20 (20 percent) outside the arc. The Beavers netted a red-hot 18-of-21 (85.7 percent) at the foul line. The Comets pulled down 11 more rebounds (43-32), but the also turned it over nine more times (19-10)
The women are back in action on Saturday, Nov. 23, when they travel to Oberlin College. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m.
