BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University women's basketball team lost on the scoreboard but they won a berth in the upcoming Heartland Conference tournament following a 63-57 Senior Night loss to Anderson University in the Sommer Center on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. Bluffton slipped to 11-14 overall and 5-13 in the HCAC, while Anderson improved to 12-12 and 9-9 in the conference.
Lindsey Smith (Mount Victory/Kenton) went to work right out of the gate on Senior Night, hitting four shots in the first five minutes as Bluffton opened a quick 10-5 lead. Junior Madison Brown (Montpelier/North Central) and sophomore Rachel Clark got to the rack, helping the Beavers to a 16-13 spread after period one.
Anderson used a quick 7-2 spurt to go up 20-18 just over two minutes into the second quarter, but senior Tamron Brinkman (Dayton/East Dayton Christian) tallied six straight to slow the Ravens. Following a Brown deuce, Brinkman added two more jumpers and Lacie Fenstermaker (Leipsic/Pandora-Gilboa) hit from in close for a 30-27 Beaver advantage, however, Sarah Sewak drilled a triple which knotted the score 30-30 at the break.
The lead bounced back and forth throughout the third frame as Bluffton was up 48-47 heading to the final stanza thanks to seven points on 3-of-3 shooting from Fenstermaker.
Freshman Mackenzea Townsend (Union City/Mississinawa Valley) and Fenstermaker both hit chippies early in the fourth quarter, knotting the score at 54 with 7:18 to play. Missed shots and missed free throws down the stretch spelled doom for the the Beavers as Anderson earned a home game in the HCAC tournament thanks to its 63-57 win on Wednesday night.
It was balanced scoring for Bluffton as Smith and Fenstermaker charted a dozen counters apiece. Smith was 6-of-9 and Fenstermaker was 5-for-8. Brinkman and Brown each went for 10 points. Brown fashioned her 6th double double of the season, ripping down a career-high 15 boards! Prigge and Fenstermaker both doled out four assists, while Smith finished with seven rebounds.
Bluffton hit just 22-of-60 from the field (36.7 percent), including an 0-of-12 performance outside the arc. The Beavers also struggled at the line, making 13-of-21 attempts (61.9 percent). Both teams pulled down 47 rebounds, but Anderson took advantage of 13 Bluffton miscues, scoring 14 points off turnovers.
The Bluffton women will now look forward to another game thanks to Manchester's loss at Franklin. Top-seeded Transylvania is the opponent and Lexington, Ky. is the destination when the Beavers head south for a 4 p.m. showdown in the Beck Center on Saturday, Feb. 22.
-BEAVERS-
