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A partisan crowd of 1,250 watched Bluffton University pull off a first in Sommer Center.
 
In two consecutive days the 18th Division III nationally-ranked Beavers avenged its two regular season loses and captured its first-ever Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference basketball team.
 
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In the opening tournament round on Friday Bluffton beat Transylvania 71-60. In regular season, Bluffton beat Transy 65-61 and then Bluffton lost on the road 65-57.
 
Advancing to Saturday’s title game, Bluffton shut down Rose-Hulman 52-46 to earn another first: an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.
 
Bluffton led the entire contest and enjoyed a 16-point lead at the end of the first quarter.
 
This was the third match-up between Bluffton and Rose-Hulman, who were co-champs of the HCAC. Earlier this season Bluffton defeated RH at home 45-36. RH then gave Bluffton its first season loss 57-50. RH finished the season at 23-4.
 
Bluffton advances to the NCAA tournament at 25-2.
 
Bluffton’s Kaitlyn Pennekamp was the all-tourney MVP. Two other Bluffton players, Rachel Beining and Taylor Knight made the five-player team.