By Brandy Bidlack, sports information assistant
The Bluffton University women's basketball fell to Hanover College, 78-71, in Founders Hall on Saturday, February 5, 2011. Bluffton dropped to 8-12 overall and 5-8 in the HCAC while Hanover improved to 13-1 in the conference and 19-1 on the season.
Sophomore Lauren Hutton (New Riegel) drove to the hoop for two to counter a pair of Panther layins, but the Hanover offense was efficient as the visitors controlled most of the first half. At the 8:15 mark, a Kylee Burkholder (West Unity/Hilltop) layup finally put the Beavers in double-digits as Bluffton trailed 22-11. However, an old-fashioned three-point play gave Hanover its largest lead of the game, 16 points, with just under seven minutes left in the half (29-13).
Despite the early defensive struggles, the home team would not go away and it slowly chipped away at the deficit. With 53 seconds remaining on the clock, junior Brittany Stegmaier (Garfield/Trinity) sank a triple to pull the Beavers within one. A Stegmaier freebie tied the game at 35, but All-HCAC standout Molly Martin stepped outside and drilled a three-pointer just before halftime as Hanover took a 39-35 lead at the break.
Junior Brittany Lewis (Springfield/Shawnee) sparked the Bluffton offense in the second session as she buried a shot behind the arc (39-38). At the 16:17 mark, senior Kim Miller (Delphos/St. John's) converted the hoop and harm to give the Beavers a 49-47 lead.
With 11 and a half minutes remaining, Hutton hit the jumper to give Bluffton the edge, 59-58, but Hanover's Holly Vogel drained four free throws to put the visitors back on top. At the 4:11 mark, freshman Kim Meyer's (Millbury/Lake) trifecta made it a two-point Hanover lead, 71-69.
Responding to a Panther deuce, Miller drove to the hoop for two more points (74-71). Despite the Beavers' best efforts, the Panther offense proved too much as the number one team in the conference produced its 19th win of the season, 78-71, over Bluffton.
Miller led the Beavers with 16 points, seven assists, six boards and one block. Her first free throw of the night gave Miller 362 makes at the stripe, eclipsing Tanya Rickenberg's school mark of 361 made free throws. The senior standout is also just three rebounds shy of Lindsay Bush's school-record 647 boards.
Stegmaier generated 16 points in addition to snatching five off the glass and picking up two steals. Hutton added 15 points, five rebounds, three steals, and one Panther rejection. Meyer and Lewis dished out seven and five assists, respectively. Meyer's seven dimes set a new career high for the freshman.
Bluffton hit 26-of-65 (40.0 percent) from the field, while the Panthers made 27-of-57 (47.4 percent). The Beavers went 11-of-27 (40.7 percent) from behind the arc, compared to 3-of-11 (27.3 percent) for Hanover. The home team converted 8-of-10 (80.0 percent) at the line, while the visitors made 21-of-25 (84.0 percent). Hanover won the battle of the boards (44-28) but turned it over four more times than the home team (16-12).
The Bluffton University women's basketball team will resume Heartland Conference action when it travels to conference rival Anderson University on Monday, February 7. The battle between the Beavers and the Ravens is slated for 7:30 p.m.
