The Bluffton University men's basketball team played host to the Manchester University Spartans in a Heartland Conference clash on Wednesday, Jan. 22. The Beavers led for most of the contest until late in the second half when the visitors would take a lead and hold on for a 52-48 victory. Bluffton fell to 8-8 overall and 4-5 in the Heartland Conference, while Manchester improved to 6-10 overall and 4-5 in the HCAC.

The home team came out of the gate hot, going up 8-2 early when Dezman Brown (Elyria) would get to the hoop and lay one in with 17:09 left in the first half. Bluffton led for much of the game but the Spartans would not go away and they rallied for the lead when Matthew Westman nailed a three to make it 43-41 with just under seven minutes on the clock. Manchester's defense got it done down the stretch, helping the visitors secure a 52-48 win over the Beavers.

Bluffton opened up a 10-point lead when Jerred Kinnaird (Lewis Center/Olentangy) knocked down a three to make it 17-7 with 10:40 left in the first stanza. The visitors would stay close and cut it to eight when Westman got to the rack and converted to make it 28-20 with 43 seconds left in the half.

Following the break, both teams traded buckets early but the Spartans trimmed it to two when CJ Hampton tipped one in which made it 34-32 in favor of the home team with 14:07 left in the second half. Bluffton would push the lead back up to seven when Brown nailed two free throws (41-34) with 10:25 to play.

The visitors stormed back and took the 46-44 lead when Jalen Owens drilled a three with five minutes to go. Two late free throws from Andrew Renner (Cairo/Bath) put the home team up 48-47 with 2:20 left but the Spartan defense came up clutch and their offense made enough plays to secure the 52-48 win.

Brown led the way with 12 points on 4-of-12 from the field. Renner checked in with 11 points and he pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with a game-best five dimes.

Bluffton hit 17-of-53 (34 percent) from the field, including 6-of-22 (28.6 percent) from distance. The home team pulled down 38 rebounds, one more than the Spartans. The Beavers coughed up the ball 13 times, two more turnovers than the visitors.

Bluffton will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 25, when the Beavers travel to Rose-Hulman for an HCAC matchup with the Engineers. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. with the women to follow at 3:30 p.m.