By Josh Bruner, sports information assistant

The Bluffton University women's basketball team hosted Anderson University on Wednesday, December 8, 2010, at Founders Hall. The Beavers got off to a slow start as they only managed 12 points in the first half, trailing 32-12 at the break en route to a 65-51 Raven victory. The loss dropped the Beavers back to .500 overall with a 3-3 record, including a 1-2 mark in the HCAC. Anderson improved to to 3-4 overall with a 1-2 record in the HCAC.

The Beavers looked strong at the start of the game, as two consecutive buckets from senior Kim Miller (Delphos/St. John's) put the Beavers up 6-2 after three minutes of play. The Ravens picked up the intensity and quickly took over the game. Anderson put up a 9-0 run on the Beavers for an 11-6 lead at the 14:14 mark after two Amy Wuestefeld free throws. Bluffton stopped the spurt with an Emily Shellabarger (St. Marys/Memorial) layup at the 14-minute mark.

Bluffton struggled from the field for the remainder of the half as they could not buy a bucket. The Beavers managed just two points from junior Brittany Lewis (Springfield/Shawnee) over the final 10:58 of the first period as the Ravens took a comfortable 32-12 lead at the half.

The Beavers came out of the break with a big deficit to overcome. They slowly picked away at the lead. Just six minutes into the half, the Beavers pulled the game within 14 after a Brittany Stegmaier (Garfield/Trinity) three-pointer which made the score 36-22.

The Ravens responded with a run of their own as they pushed the lead back to 17 following an Ellen Thompson layup. The Beavers quickly sliced into the lead, hitting two consecutive shots before a Kirstie Runion (Cincinnati/Cincinnati Christian) steal and bucket made it a 13-point game with 12 minutes left to play.

With just two minutes left the Beavers still trailed by 15. The Ravens proved to be perfect from the line over the last minute, going 6-of-6 to finish with a 65-51 victory.

The Beavers were led by Miller with 13 points and five assists. Following closely was Stegmaier with 11. Lewis added nine for the Beavers, while Alicia Amis (Woodstock/Mechanicsburg) and Rachel Daman (Defiance/Tinora) chipped in with six points each. Amis led the team in rebounds with five.

The Ravens were led by Thompson with 24 markers and eight boards. Lauren Leisure added 17 points and Wuestefeld dropped in 15.

Bluffton struggled from the field as they went 20-of-56 (36.4 percent), including a 6-of-29 (20.7 percent) performance in the first half. The Beavers were just 1-for-13 (7.7 percent) from behind the arc for the game. Anderson proved more efficient from the field, going 20-of-44 (45.5 percent) and 2-for-9 (22.2 percent) from behind the arc. Both teams proved efficient from the charity stripe as the Beavers hit 10-of-14 (71.4 percent) while the Ravens were an outstanding 23-of-28 (82.1 percent). Anderson owned the boards, posting a 43-22 advantage on the glass. The Beavers turned it over just eight times, compared to 17 turnovers by the Ravens.

The Bluffton University women's basketball team travels to Franklin to face the Grizzlies in another HCAC battle on Saturday, December 11. Their contest will follow the men's game and is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.