In a game that saw 14 lead changes it was the final one with two ticks left that made the difference as Earlham downed the Bluffton University men's basketball team 60-59 for its third straight victory. The Beavers fell to 5-10, while Earlham improved to 6-8 in the non-conference matchup that was a makeup from January 12.
A Jameel Cosby (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) jumper in the paint put Bluffton up by four (59-55) with less than 30 seconds to play, but a costly Beaver turnover following a Tommy Makabu deuce set the stage for some Jaden Terry fireworks as he drained a deep triple with two ticks on the clock, handing the Quakers a 60-59 victory on a rare Monday night tussle in the Sommer Center.
The offenses struggled throughout the first half with Bluffton shooting 30 percent (6-of-20) and Earlham knocking down 10-of-23 (43.5 percent). The Quakers led 4-0 before six straight points for Cosby and an old-fashioned three-point play by Michael Stammen (Versailles) made it 9-6 Bluffton at the 13:17 mark. Earlham returned the favor and led 18-14 and 25-20, but Cosby capped the first half scoring with two buckets in the paint as the home trailed by just one (25-24) at the break.
The Beavers led 36-33 when Stammen found Cosby for a three-ball with 14:49 to play. However, a 22-13 spurt by the Quakers made it 55-49 with 4:44 on the clock. Just when it looked like the home team was finished, Cosby and Stammen cranked in back-to-back triples, knotting the game at 55 with 3:31 to go. Damian Davis (Bexley) and Cosby made it 10 straight points for the good guys before Earlham netted five late markers to escape with a 60-59 victory.
Cosby lit up the visitors for 22 counters, just two days after going over the 1,000-point mark on Saturday. He also led the Beavers with nine rebounds. Stammen added eight points, while Davis and Chad Frey (Lima/Bath) chipped in six apiece. Stammen handed out three assists. Cosby and Davis picked up four and three steals, respectively.
Bluffton hit 21-of-48 from the field (43.8 percent), including 3-of-10 (30 percent) from distance. The Quakers pulled down four more rebounds (32-28), but they also turned it over three more times (15-12). Bluffton finished with a 14-of-18 (77.8 percent) night at the stripe.
The Beavers will be back in Heartland Conference action on Wednesday, Jan. 26, when they travel to Anderson University for a 7:30 p.m. matchup with the Ravens.
