TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Bluffton University women's basketball team dropped a 76-67 decision at Rose-Hulman on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. Bluffton dipped to 11-13 overall and 5-12 in the Heartland Conference, while RHIT improved to 11-13 and 8-9 in the HCAC.

Rose jumped out to a 10-2 lead over the Beavers before senior Tamron Brinkman (Dayton/East Dayton Christian) got to the rack for a hoop and harm which made the score 10-5 midway through the opening stanza. Lacie Fenstermaker (Leipsic/Pandora-Gilboa) followed suit with an old-fashioned three-point play and then four straight Madison Brown (Montpelier/North Central) counters gave the visitors a 12-10 lead. Fenstermaker hit a jumper, but the Engineers ended the period on a 7-0 spurt for a 20-14 spread heading to the second quarter.

Senior Kayla Prigge (Hamler/Patrick Henry) sandwiched four points around a Fenstermaker deuce as Bluffton cut its deficit to four points (25-21). The home team led by as many as 14 in the second frame, but five Rachel Clark (Lima/Bath) markers made it 43-32 at the break.

Fenstermaker had it rolling with eight points in the third quarter and Prigge dialed long distance, helping the Beavers stay within striking distance at 57-49 with 10 minutes to play. A Prigge bomb and her two makes at the charity stripe made it  73-67 with 34 second remaining, but RHIT closed it out with three freebies for a 76-67 victory.

A perfect afternoon from the field and the line propelled Fenstermaker to a career-high 23 points as the junior was a perfect 8-of-8 from the field and 7-for-7 at the line. She stuffed the stat sheet with four rebounds, two steals and a block. Brown and Prigge followed with 16 points apiece. Brown led the Beavers with 11 Beavers for her 6th double-double and she went 12-of-14 at the line.

The Beavers were 19-of-50 from the field (38 percent), including 3-for-17 (17.6 percent) outside the arc. Bluffton made hay at the line, hitting 26-of-28 for 92.9 percent. The Engineers pulled down one more rebound (32-31) and the Beavers turned it over six more times (13-7).

Bluffton will cap off its regular season with a 7 p.m. tip-off against Anderson University on Wednesday, Feb. 19. The Senior Night festivities kick off at approximately 6:40 p.m. A Bluffton victory or a Manchester loss will send the Beavers into the HCAC Tournament which is slated for Saturday, Feb. 22, and would have the women traveling to #1 seed Transylvania University.

-BEAVERS-