The Bluffton University women's basketball team welcomed Earlham College to Copeland Court on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020. The Beavers picked up another win with a final score of 70-65, improving to 9-5 (3-4 HCAC) while Earlham slipped to 4-10 (3-3 HCAC).
Earlham controlled the tip and got on the board first but Emma Saltzman (Arcadia) hit back-to-back baskets to give the Beavers an early 4-2 lead. The Quakers bounced back quickly as a 12-2 run made the score 14-6. Two Abbie Parkins (Bluffton) freebies and a Sammy Shardo (Findlay/Liberty-Benton) trifecta pulled the Beavers within six (19-13), but the quarter would end with a score of 22-13.
It was a slow start to the second quarter until Nora Hemminger (McComb) dropped a deuce in the paint to make the score 22-15 with 7:23 on the clock. A Brianna Gillig (New Riegel) offensive rebound and tip trimmed the Beaver deficit to eight (27-19). Hemminger drained a three but the Quakers continued to pull away, going into the half with a comfortable 37-28 lead.
Four Gillig makes from the charity strip made the score 49-36 with just over two minutes left in the third. Shardo hit another shot from distance, but it wasn't enough to go around Earlham as the Beavers trailed 51-44 heading to the final stanza.
The Bluffton offense finally clicked on in the fourth quarter when Gillig bucketed three layups in a row and knocked down all three freebies to tie the score up at 53-53. A Tj Mills (Dayton/Chaminade-Julienne) triple, her only hoop for the game, gave the Beavers a long-awaited 56-55 lead. A Quaker layup knotted the score at 59-59, but a quick foul sent Hemminger to the line for two more points. Bluffton was able to hold off Earlham as they secured the 70-65 victory.
Leading the Beaver offense was Gillig with a career-high 28 points. She just missed out on her fifth double-double with nine caroms. Hemminger tied her career-high with 18 markers and also led the defense, pulling down a career-best 11 boards for her first career double-double! Mills added seven points, six dimes and four rebounds in the victory. Shardo blocked a career-high three shots as Bluffton stuffed Earlham eight times.
The Beavers knocked down 20-of-52 (38.5 percent) from the field, including 4-of-13 (30.8 percent) from outside the arc. The Quakers hit 25-of-65 (38.5 percent) and 5-of-15 (33.3 percent) from deep. Bluffton connected on 26-of-40 (65 percent) of their free throws, after starting out just 8-of-20 (40 percent), with Earlham hitting all 10-of-10 (100 percent). The Beavers pulled down three more boards (42-39) but coughed the ball up three more times (17-14).
The women are back in action on Saturday, Jan. 18, when they host the Anderson College Ravens. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. with the men's game to follow at 4 p.m. Come out and support your Beavers!
