The Bluffton University men's basketball team kept it close throughout the first half, but pre-season HCAC favorite Anderson University was too much for the Beavers on January 1, 2022. AU moved to 8-3 and 3-1 in the Heartland Conference with its 79-57 victory over a Bluffton team (4-7, 0-4 HCAC) that had won twice in the previous 68 hours.

Anderson jumped out to a 12-6 lead before junior Marcus Bruns (Coldwater) knocked down a jumper and then hit from distance, making it a 12-11 game at the 12:51 mark. A Chad Frey (Lima/Bath) layup and two makes from the charity stripe by Bruns kept it a one-point game midway through the opening half.

Junior Kegan Owen (Indianapolis, Ind./Greenwood) picked Anderson off at the 5:55 mark and fed Bruns, making it 26-23, but back-to-back Raven triples propelled the visitors to a 39-29 lead at the break.

Miguel Ringer (Cincinnati/Christian) converted a hoop-and-harm to open the second stanza as Bluffton pulled within seven points. However, Anderson was unfazed and the Ravens pushed their spread to 49-32 when HCAC All-Conference performer Maurice Knight dropped a deuce with 16:06 to play.

Owen's trifecta at the 10:08 mark had Bluffton on the verge of making it a game (55-42) before eight straight points from the Ravens effectively put the outcome on ice. Jameel Cosby (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) added a pair of buckets to the Bluffton stat sheet and Ryan Rose (Tipp City/Bethel) buried a three-ball with time winding down as Anderson left town with a convincing 79-57 win on New Year's Day.

Cosby, who led the Beavers with 10 rebounds, Bruns and Ringer all bucketed 13 points on Saturday. Bruns pulled down six rebounds and Owen handed out four dimes. Cosby led the Beavers with three steals.

Bluffton hit just 22-of-64 (34.4 percent) from the field, while Anderson blistered the nets for 31-of-53 (58.5 percent) shooting. The Beavers struggled with just 4-of-17 (23.5 percent) on triples. Anderson pulled down 10 more rebounds (39-29) and the visitors dominated fast break scoring as well (10-2).

The Beavers will return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 5, when they travel to Defiance for an 8 p.m. meeting with the rival Yellow Jackets.