The women's game report is below the men's report.
Bluffton University women's and men's basketball teams both won in Dec. 4 contests. The men's game follows.
Men's game
The Bluffton University men's basketball team played host to league foe Mount St. Joseph on Wednesday, Dec. 4, in what was the first conference matchup of the season.
The Beavers controlled the game from the tip, never allowing the Lions to take a lead despite a late comeback try that fell just short for MSJ in Bluffton's 64-61 victory.
Bluffton improved to 4-2 overall and 1-0 in the Heartland Conference, while MSJ dipped to 2-6 overall and 0-1 in the HCAC.
Bluffton got out to a hot start and kept the foot on the pedal for the majority of the contest. With 13:16 left in the first stanza, junior Dezman Brown (Elyria) would lay one in to make it 18-5 early in the first half.
The Beavers largest lead of the game came with 9:14 in the first stanza when Isaiah Taylor (Yellow Springs) split a pair of free throws to make the score 26-7 in favor of the good guys. The Lions rallied with a strong second half comeback, but came up just short thanks to Brown's four makes at the stripe in the final 18 seconds.
The Beavers opened up an early nine-point lead when Andrew Renner (Cairo/Bath) drilled a trey to make the score 14-5 with 14:52 left in the first half. Bluffton would control the pace for the rest of the first half, taking a 35-21 lead into the break.
With Bluffton firing from all cylinders in the first half, the home team was looking to continue that trend into the second period.
Unfortunately, the early 19-point lead was sliced to just two when MSJ's Brady Thomas got to the rack to make it 60-58 with 1:24 on the clock. Brown would come up big time for the Beavers as he had two trips to the charity stripe and went 4-for-4 which sealed the Bluffton victory.
Brown paced the Beavers with 16 points and a career-high six assists. Fellow junior Aaron Rich (Greenville) also notched double figures with 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Jameel Cosby (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) ripped down a team and career-high 12 rebounds in the win.
Bluffton hit 27-of-58 (46.6 percent) from the field, including 5-of-17 (29.4 percent) from distance. The Beavers would commit 20 fouls, compared to 13 for the Lions. The home team pulled down four more rebounds, but finished with one more miscue (9-8)
Bluffton will be back in action on Saturday, Dec. 7, when the Beavers travel to Franklin College for a conference matchup with the Grizzlies. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.
Women defeat Mount St. Joseph
The Bluffton University women's basketball team traveled south on Interstate 75 to Mount St. Joseph on Dec. 4,, for a Wednesday night matchup against the Lions.
Despite a slow start, the Beavers pulled off a 49-39 win to stay undefeated. Bluffton moved to 5-0 (1-0 HCAC) on the season, while The Mount slipped to 0-5 (0-1 HCAC).
The Beaver offense struggled early in the game as the Lions put up seven unanswered points. Junior Nora Hemminger (McComb) knocked down a three to finally get Bluffton on the board five minutes into the game. Mount St. Joseph would continue to dominate during the first quarter, taking a 15-6 lead at the end of one.
The Beavers struck first in period two thanks to a jump shot from Kylie Brock (Villa Hilld, KY/Dixie Heights). Brock sparked the offense as the visitors put up 10 straight points to take a 16-15 lead. After exchanging free throws Mount took a 19-18 lead, but a Brianna Gillig (New Riegel) bucket at the buzzer gave Bluffton a 20-19 advantage going into the break.
Brock opened the second half with a triple and the Beavers never looked back. A layup from Gillig had the Beavers up by 11 (32-21) with just over five minutes left in the third. Two charity shots for Tj Mills (Dayton/Chaminade-Julienne) made it 38-26 going into the final stanza.
A rejuvinated offense from the Lions in the fourth quarter allowed the home team to pull within six. However, the Beavers stayed perfect as Gillig finished the game off in the paint to secure the 49-39 victory.
Brock led the Bluffton offense with 14 points. Gillig and Mills both chipped in 12 points, while pulling down five and a career-high eight boards, respectively. Hemminger tallied six markers along with four steals for the Beavers.
Bluffton connected on 19-of-60 (31.7 percent) from the field, compared to Mount's paltry 13-of-47 (27.7 percent). The Beavers struggled to a 4-of-23 (17.4 percent) night from outside the arc and the Lions only hit one more, going 5-of-23 (21.7 percent) from deep.
Bluffton was solid at the stripe as the visitors drained 7-of-11 (63.6 percent) with Mount hitting 8-of-14 (57.1 percent). The Beavers forced eight more turnovers (24-16), but the Lions pulled down three more boards (40-37).
The women are back in action on Saturday, Dec. 7, when they travel to Franklin College for a matchup against the Grizzlies. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. with the men's game to follow at 4 p.m.
