By: Griffin Kuras, sports information assistant

Stats

BLUFFTON, Ohio - OSU-Lima made the short trip up Interstate 75 to Bluffton to compete in the 17th annual McDonalds Holiday Tournament. The Beavers took take of business, handing the Barons their 12th loss on the year in a 97-51 blowout. Bluffton improved to 5-4 with the win and will play Hiram for the McDonald's title on Tuesday, Dec. 30. 

Bluffton opened the game on a 10-5 run as the Beavers jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. The Barons seemed out of sync the whole night as they allowed the home squad to shoot 52.8 percent from the field, including 13-of-30 (43.3 percent) from behind the arc. The reserves logged quality minutes as they came in and continued the onslaught. Freshman Austin Terrill (Richwood/North Union) came off the bench with a strong shooting performance, drilling a pair of three-pointers and getting six rebounds while making the most of his 11 minutes on the floor. He tallied a career-best 10 points in the victory.

OSU-Lima’s Larry Fuqua III tried to keep the Barons afloat with a solid night shooting, putting up 15 points before the final buzzer sounded. The Barons’ bench was unable to gain any traction against the Beaver defense, putting up only two points over the course of the game.

Joshua Woodrich (Navarre/Central Christian) had a strong showing in just his second start, putting up 15 points and hauling in nine rebounds as he just missed his first career double-double. Junior Thayne Recker (Arlington) was dominant again, posting a 13-point, nine-rebound game while adding two assists in just 18 minutes of action. Freshman Austin Moore (Toledo/St. John's) finished with nine points on three triples, four rebounds and four assists, while sophomore Adam Hopkins (Wellington/Keystone) added six points and five boards.

The Beavers pounded the glass, ripping down 60 caroms (20 offensive), compared to just 24 for the Barons. OSU-Lima turned it over just five times, while Bluffton was also solid with nine miscues. The home team shared the rock with 30 assists on 38 field goals.

The Beavers will be playing for first place tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. as they take on the Hiram College Terriers in the Sommer Center. OSU-Lima matches up with Grove City in the McDonald's consolation game at 12 p.m. 

-BEAVERS-