The Bluffton University men's basketball team played host to Anderson University in a Heartland Conference tilt on Saturday, Jan. 18. After a disappointing lossat Earlham College on Wednesday night, the home team was looking to get back in the win column and they did just that by knocking off the Ravens, 81-71. Bluffton improved to 8-7 overall and 4-4 in the conference, while Anderson fell to 8-7 overall and 5-3 in the HCAC.
The home team jumped out to a quick start, taking an early 10-3 lead when Andrew Renner (Cairo/Bath) got to the hole for a deuce with 15:47 left in the first stanza. Bluffton would control the pace much of the game until late in the second half when Anderson's Tate Cooper knocked down a pair of free throws which knotted it at 58-58 with 9:04 left in the contest. But, the Beavers did not cave in and they pulled away late for the 81-71 victory.
Thanks to some hot shooting, the home team went up 16-7 when Carter Kinnaird (Lewis Center/Olentangy) dropped a deuce with less than 13 minutes to go in the first half. The Ravens cut the deficit to four when Ronny Williams drained a three-ball to make it 18-14 in favor of the Beavers. A Jerred Kinnaird (Lewis Center/Olentangy) hoop and harm with 18 seconds left in the half gave the Beavers a 38-33 lead at the break.
Bluffton continued its hot shooting into the second half, seeing the lead reach eight when Dezman Brown (Elyria) knocked down a pair of free throws to make it 53-45 with just under 15 minutes to play. But, Anderson would not go away and the Ravens climbed back to trim the deficit to one when Williams put one in to make the score 58-57 with 10:12 on the clock. They would tie it up a minute later, but the home team responded when Jameel Cosby (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) drained a jumper to make it 72-63 with less than five minutes to play. Bluffton made enough plays down the stretch to secure the 81-71 victory.
Four Beavers notched double figures in the win as Cosby led the way with 21 points on 8-of-12 from the field while also pulling down six rebounds. Isaiah Taylor (Yellow Springs) notched 20 of his own on an efficient 6-of-8 from the field and a perfect 8-of-8 display from the charity stripe. He ripped down seven boards in the win. Renner put up a double-double with 13 points and a team-high 10 rebounds while also doling out a game-high five dimes. Brown dropped in 10 of his own on 4-of-9 shooting from the field.
Bluffton hit a blistering 25-of-47 (53.2 percent) from the field while shooting just four times beyond the arc (25 percent). The home team pulled down 36 rebounds, compared to 29 for the Ravens. Both teams turned the ball over 16 times.
Bluffton will be back in action on Wednesday, Jan 22., as they play host to the Manchester University Spartans in a mid-week HCAC tilt. Tip-off is set for 7:30 pm in the Sommer Center when the first ride through the HCAC comes to a close.
