The Bluffton University men's basketball team traveled down I-75 to take on the Mount St. Joseph Lions in a mid-week conference clash on Wednesday, Feb.5.

After the visitors took a 12-9 lead on a three-ball from Dezman Brown (Elyria), they never looked back en route to a convincing 66-53 victory. Bluffton improved to 11-9 overall and 7-6 in the Heartland Conference thanks to a third straight win, while MSJ dipped to 4-16 and 2-11 in the HCAC.

Bluffton would get on the board first after a scoreless two plus minutes when Andrew Renner (Cairo/Bath) knocked down a jumper to make it 2-0 with 17:36 left in the first stanza.

The visitors would stretch their lead to 10 (19-9) when Brown dialed long distance with 11 minutes remaining in the half. The Lions trimmed the Beaver lead when Avery Paddock's layin made the score 29-25 with less than three minutes to go in the first half. Bluffton took a 34-25 lead into the break thanks to two more buckets before the buzzer.

The visitors would stay hot entering the second half, seeing their lead stretch to double digits (39-29) when Zeddie Pollock (Mogadore) nailed one from distance just 21 seconds into the second stanza.

The home team would cut back into the deficit when Tanner Clos knocked down a pair of free throws to make it 47-42 with 13:15 remaining in the contest. But, the Beavers would push their lead to 13 (55-42) when Aaron Rich (Greenville) got to the rack for a deuce. Bluffton was in control the rest of the game on the way to a crucial 66-53 road win.

Renner led the way with 19 counters on 7-of-12 from the field. He also pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds in the win for his 7th career double-double. Isaiah Taylor (Yellow Springs) came in with 14 points of his own on 7-of-11 from the field while also dishing out three helpers for the victors.

Renner, Brown and Rich all dished out four assists on Wednesday night. Senior Carter Kinnaird (Lewis Center/Olentangy) also came up big with seven rebounds and a career-high seven points in just 11 minutes off the bench. 

Bluffton hit a red-hot 28-of-49 (57.1 percent) from the field, including 5-of-16 (31.3 percent) from distance. The visitors pulled down 37 rebounds compared to just 19 for the home squad. Bluffton committed 10 more turnovers (15-5) than the Lions.

Bluffton will be back in action on Saturday, Feb. 8, when they travel to Indiana to take on the Anderson University Ravens in a Heartland Conference clash. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. following the women's game at 2 p.m.

Women's game
The Bluffton University women's basketball squad welcomed Mount St. Joseph to Copeland Court on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020. Despite trailing early, the Beavers secured a 57-48 victory over the Lions. Bluffton improved to 11-9 (5-8 HCAC), while MSJ slipped to 6-14 (5-8 HCAC).

Mount controlled the tip but Emma Saltzman (Arcadia) made the first shot to give the Beavers a 2-0 lead. A 5-0 run for the Lions made it 9-4, but a layup and triple from Brianna Gillig (New Riegel) evend up the score at 9-9. Mount took the lead again before a Morgan Smith (Arlington) freebie and an Abbie Parkins (Bluffton) trifecta gave the Beavers a 19-16 lead at the end of the first.

It was a slow start to the second quarter before Parkins hit a shot in the paint at the 7:56 mark to put Bluffton up by three (21-18). Peyton Henry (Leipsic) followed with the next two buckets for five points and a 26-22 advantage. Senior Tj Mills (Dayton/Chaminade-Julienne) hit a shot from deep to push the Beavers ahead 31-25 going into the break.

A pair of triples from Parkins and Kylie Brock (Villa Hills, KY/Dixie Heights) and two Gillig charity shots gave the home team an early 11-point lead (41-30) in the third as the Beavers rolled off 10 straight counters. Free throws were the highlight of the quarter as four more from Brock and Mills would give Bluffton a 47-36 cushion at the end of three.

Saltzman and Mills both netted layups early in the fourth to push the score to 51-40 in favor of the good guys. Two more Brock freebies and two field goals from Gillig secured the 57-48 victory.

Leading Bluffton was Gillig with 17 points and 11 rebounds for her seventh career double-double. Parkins and Mills tallied 11 and 10 markers, respectively. Saltzman pulled down seven rebounds with Henry pitching in five. Mills just missed out on a double-double with a career-high tying nine dimes!

The Beavers connected on 20-of-57 (35.1 percent) field goals, including 7-of-19 (36.8 percent) from deep. Mount netted 18-of-53 (34 percent) and just 4-of-19 (21.1 percent) from outside the arc. Bluffton converted 10-of-16 (62.5 percent) at the line, compared to 8-of-13 (61.5 percent) for the Lions. The home team also pulled down four more rebounds (41-37), while MSJ coughed the ball up one more time (7-6).

The women are back in action on Saturday, Feb. 8, when they travel to Anderson University. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. with the men's game to follow at 4 p.m.