By Ryan Schadewald, sports information assistant

Stats http://www.bluffton.edu/athletics/womensbasketball/2014/12-04-wb.htm

The Earlham College Quakers used a 20-7 run late in the first half to put away Bluffton 67-38 on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013. Bluffton fell to 2-4 overall and 0-1 in the Heartland Conference, while the Quakers upped their season mark to 2-3 and 1-0 in the HCAC.

Kylee Burkholder (West Unity/Hilltop) just missed her career high with 12 boards on Wednesday night. She also added seven points on 3-of-8 shooting from the field. Sophomores Kaitlyn Pennekamp (Hamilton/Ross) and Brooke Ruffer (Stryker) topped the Beavers with eight points apiece, but both struggled going 3-of-11 on field goals. Ruffer picked up three steals in the loss.

Bluffton struggled mightily on the offensive end, turning it over 33 times while hitting just 15-of-55 (27.3 percent) from the field. Earlham pulled down 12 more boards (48-36) and finished 29-of-64 (45.3 percent) from the field.

The Beavers started with a quick 2-0 lead on a layin from Kylee Burkholder to start the game. However, following a 6-0 Quaker run, the Beavers would never lead again. With Earlham holding a 12-7 advantage, Bluffton was able to tie the score on a quick 5-0 spurt thanks to another Burkholder deuce and a deep ball from Kaitlyn Pennekamp which made it a 12-12 game at the 8:17 mark of the first half.

Immediately following the spurt by the Beavers, Earlham pulled away with a 12-0 run of their own to go up 24-12 late in the half.

To open up the second stanza, Bluffton trimmed the deficit back down to single digits on back-to-back jumpers from Brooke Ruffer and Belicia Cooper (Paynesville/Riverside), making the score 32-23. After the teams traded buckets, Earlham's being a three, the Quakers put the game out of reach with a 16-0 run over the next five minutes to make the score 51-25. The lead ballooned as high as 31 before the game went final with a score of 67-38.

Earlham was led by Kasin Spay, who scored 19 points and had six steals for the Quakers, while JaLissa Watt added 10 markers.

The Beavers will return home to the Sommer Center this Saturday, Dec. 7, when they continue HCAC play against the Franklin College Grizzlies, who sit at 2-5 and 1-0 in HCAC play. Game time is set for 2 p.m.