By: Colton Steiner

BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University men's basketball squad returned home after back-to-back games on the road to face off against the Berea Mountaineers. In their first battle of the season, the Beavers won the contest after an Ian Snelling (Erlanger, Ky./Dixie Heights) buzzer beater in an exciting 81-78 overtime win, and the rematch did not disappoint. In a game where the Beavers trailed by 10, they would fight back and come out victorious with a 77-73 win to sweep the series on the year. This win moves Bluffton to a record of 4-12 overall with a 3-6 mark in the HCAC, while Berea dropped to 7-9 and 2-7 in conference play.

The Mountaineers would open up the contest with a 9-2 start, but a Cam Rogers (Cincinnati/Cincinnati Christian) triple and a Brendan Williams (South Bend, Ind./Mishawaka) layup cut the deficit to two. Both teams would exchange buckets before the Beavers would net their first lead of the game with 12:44 left in the half after Nevin Robson (Kenton/Hardin Northern) would lay in a bucket off a great assist from Trevor Daughtry (Wabash, Ind.). Following another layup from Robson, Sihr Sumner (Delaware/Rutherford B. Hayes) picked off a pass and finished the fast break with a two-handed slam to give the Beavers a 20-18 lead with just under 11 minutes to play in the half.

On the next Blufffton possession, Trevor Daughtry would want a piece of the action and he connected on a triple to give the home team a five-point advantage. Leading 27-21 with 6:11 on the clock, Nevin Robson would snag a board and throw a deep outlet pass to Brendan Williams who finished off the break with a dunk on the other end of the court. The Mountaineers would battle back into the contest, outscoring Bluffton 15-10 to close out the half as the Beavers would hold a 39-36 lead at the break.

Ian Snelling would get the scoring going right out of the gate for Bluffton, knocking down a three from the wing to give the home team a 42-36 advantage. After six consecutive points from Berea, Cam Rogers got a friendly roll on the corner triple to push the Beaver lead to three, but the Mountaineers responded with a three of their own to even up the score at 45 with 15:13 left to play. Following back-to-back layups from the visitors, Bluffton cut the deficit to two after Brendan Williams grabbed the offensive board and finished with the putback layup. After Trevor Daughtry hit from behind the arc, Berea esponded with an 8-0 run to go up 61-51 with 9:12 left in regulation.

Trailing 67-59 with six minutes to go, the Beavers caught fire and went on a 7-0 run before Ian Snelling would drain a deep three from across the county to give the Beavers a 69-67 advantage. Bluffton went up two after Brendan Williams converted on a pair of free throws with just 29 seconds remaining. Berea would attempt a three to take the lead, but after being unable to connect, a perfect trip to the charity stripe for Nevin Robson would seal the 77-73 victory for the Beavers.

Bluffton outdid Berea in field goal percentage, shooting 43.3 percent (29-of-67) from the floor to the visitors 34.3 perecent (24-of-70).  Bluffton dominated the battle of the boards, edging out the visitors 48-39. To go along with solid defense, the Beavers would have great ball movement, dishing out 20 assists on their 29 field goals.

Leading the charge for Bluffton was Nevin Robson who notched a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds on 8-of-14 shooting. Cam Rogers added 18 and seven boards with Brendan Williams scoring 13. He was one rebound shy of a double-double, finishing with nine on the afternoon. Ian Snelling doled out a team-high six assists to go along with nine points and six rebounds.

The Beavers are back home on Wednesday, Jan. 22, when they host Mount St. Joseph with a 7:30 p.m. start time.

-BEAVERS-