By Brandy Bidlack, sports information assistant

The Bluffton University women's basketball team used a 38-28 advantage on the boards to close out its 2010 Founders Hall slate with a 73-56 victory over The College of Wooster on Saturday, December 18. Bluffton evened its record at 4-4, while the Fighting Scots dipped to 1-8 following the loss.

Despite a four-point shotgun lead for the Fighting Scots, a pair of Brittany Stegmaier (Garfield/Trinity) freebies followed by her long-distance triple quickly gave the Beavers a 5-4 edge. At the 14:48 mark, freshman Kylee Burkholder (West Unity/Hilltop) drove to the hoop to give the Beavers a five-point cushion, 13-8, over Wooster.

However, the Fighting Scots retaliated with a 19-9 run that finally came to an end with a pair of Kim Miller (Delphos/St. John's) free throws and layins from sophomore Lauren Hutton (New Riegel) and Stegmaier. With 1:22 left in the first period, Beth Yoder (Marshallville/Smithville) sank her fourth trey, putting the Beavers up 39-32 at the break.

Miller sparked the Bluffton offense with a layup just 24 seconds into the second half. The Beavers extended their lead to 11 points thanks to a Burkholder drive just inside the 14-minute mark (53-42). The Fighting Scots responded with a 13-4 spurt against the home team which pulled Wooster within two with 6:59 to play.

The Beavers regrouped as junior Rachel Daman (Defiance/Tinora) hit a triple and dished an assist to Miller for a six-point edge. Bluffton finished the contest 7-for-8 at the charity stripe as the home team won 73-56 over the College of Wooster for their fourth victory of the 2010-11 campaign.

Stegmaier led the Beavers with 17 points and pulled down six boards while dishing out four assists and picking up four steals. Yoder tied her career best with four three-pointers and a total of 14 points. Miller fashioned her 10th career double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. She also stuffed the stat sheet with four assists, four steals and three huge rejections. Burkholder added eight points and six off the glass while teammate Rachel Daman chipped in with seven points, three boards, three dimes and a block.

Bluffton hit a 23-of-57 (40.4 percent) from the field, while the visitors made 24-of-51 (47.1 percent). The Beavers went 8-of-20 (40 percent) from behind the arc while Wooster only made four triples (36.4 percent). The Beavers knocked down a phenomenal 19-of-22 (86.4 percent) at the line. The Fighting Scots struggled to get to the charity stripe, making only 4-of-10 (40 percent). The home team won the battle on the boards (38-28). Bluffton turned the ball over 20 times while forcing 24 miscues by visitors.

The Bluffton University women's basketball team will travel to Hiram College on Monday, December 20. The battle between the Beavers and the Terriers is slated for 6 p.m.