HANOVER, Ind. - The Bluffton University women's basketball team made the long trip to Hanover College on Saturday, Jan. 3, and the result was worth the time on the road! Bluffton knocked off Hanover by a 67-61 count, improving to 5-7 overall and 1-4 in the Heartland Conference. The Panthers fell to 8-4 and 2-3 in the HCAC.
It took three and a half minutes, but junior Rachel Clark (Lima/Bath) broke the ice with a triple that put Bluffton up 3-2 at the 6:30 mark. Buckets from seniors Madison Brown (Montpelier/North Central) and Lacie Fenstermaker (Leipsic/Pandora-Gilboa) made it 7-4 Bluffton midway through the first quarter. The lead continued to grow (13-6) thanks to a pair of Macee Heckathorn (Kenton) baskets and two Brown freebies. Following Heckathorn's third deuce of the quarter, Mackenzea Townsend (Union City/Mississinawa Valley) beat the buzzer for a 19-11 Bluffton advantage heading to period two.
Hanover cut its deficit to one point before a Brown triple gave the Beavers a 28-24 lead with just over two minutes to play in the second quarter. Alexis Wines scored late in the half as Bluffton held a slim 28-26 lead at the break.
The home team used a 19-13 spurt to go up 45-41 late the third quarter, but Bluffton found its stroke with eight counters over the final 45 seconds. Freshman Karlie Niekamp (Tipp City/Fort Recovery) and Clark sandwiched a pair of triples around a Brown jumper, giving the visitors a 49-45 spread with one quarter to play.
Eight straight points to open the fourth made it 57-45 at the 6:19 mark. Back-to-back Brown drives pushed the lead to 62-49 with less than five minutes to play. The Panthers battled back to within four points (63-59) with 1:30 on the clock. However, three Brown free throws helped the visitors to their first HCAC victory of the season.
Brown led the way with 25 points and she pulled down eight rebounds. Fenstermaker just missed out on a double-double with 11 counters and nine boards. She also doled out a career-high six dimes and blocked a pair of shots. Clark added 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals, while Niekamp chipped in with eight points and eight rebounds.
Bluffton hit 25-of-63 from the field (39.7 percent), including 5-of-15 (33.3 percent) from deep. The Beavers also dropped in 12-of-17 (70.6) percent at the stripe. The visitors pulled down six more rebounds (43-37), but also turned it over two more times (18-16).
The Beavers will return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 7, when Anderson University comes to town. Tip-off in the Sommer Center is slated for 7 p.m.
-BEAVERS-