BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University women's basketball team went toe-to-toe with one of the HCAC heavyweights, but Mount St. Joseph took advantage of 20 fast break points and a 13-of-26 shooting experience at the line for the home team en route to a 73-66 victory on Wednesday, Dec. 4. Bluffton slipped to 4-2 overall and 0-1 in Heartland Conference play, while the Lions improved to 5-1 and 1-0 in the HCAC.
Bluffton dug a 7-0 hole before it finally dented the scoreboard thanks to a Kayla Prigge (Hamler/Patrick Henry) triple just before the first media timeout with 4:38 to play in the opening stanza. Lindsey Smith (Mount Victory/Kenton) and Lacie Fenstermaker (Leipsic/Pandora-Gilboa) both hit from in close before sophomore Rachel Clark (Lima/Bath) sandwiched a pair of makes around a Prigge deuce, giving Bluffton a 13-12 lead heading to the second quarter.
Smith got the rack and Prigge dialed long distance for her second time, but MSJ led 26-20 with four minutes to play in the first half. Madison Brown (Montpelier/North Central) got to the hole for a pair of layins and Clark followed a Smith bucket with one of her own as the Beavers went to the break trailing by five (35-30).
The visitors went on a 20-10 jag over the first eight minutes of period three before six straight Beaver counters to end the period made it 55-46 with one frame to play.
Sophomore Alexis Stevely (Marion/Wynford) cashed in from long range to open the fourth quarter and Fenstermaker's chip shot pulled the Beavers within four (55-51) at the 7:18 mark, but an unfathomable 2-of-10 free throw perfomance over the first eight minutes of the quarter doomed the Beavers in their seven-point loss. The home team scored nine points in the final 46 seconds but it was too little, too late.
Prigge paced the Beavers with 19 points and she pulled down seven rebounds which equaled her career best. Brown added 14 points and eight boards. Smith chipped in with her fourth career double-double, hitting 5-of-7 from the field for 10 points to go along with her game-high and career-high tying 12 caroms. She stuffed the stat sheet with three dimes, two blocks and two steals. Fenstermaker also got in on the double-double business. She was 5-of-9 for 11 points and 10 rebounds. Clark just missed out on double figures with nine markers.
Bluffton hit 25-of-63 from the field (39.7 percent), but just 3-of-11 outside the arc (27.3 percent) They had huge issues at the foul line, converting only 13-of-26 (50 percent) freebies. The Beavers cleaned the glass with a 49-36 advantage, including 22-14 on the offensive end. MSJ made hay with 20 fast break points thanks to 13 Bluffton turnovers, most of which were the live ball variety that went the other way for uncontested buckets.
Bluffton is back in the Sommer Center for a 1 p.m. conference clash with Rose-Hulman on Saturday, Dec. 7. It will be the lidlifter in a Heartland Conference double feature with the men to follow at approximately 3 p.m.
-BEAVERS-