January 5, 2006

GREENWOOD, Ind. - Bluffton University's SCOTT BERGMAN (Elmore, Ohio/Woodmore) led the Beavers' men's basketball team to a perfect 7-0 mark in December and has been selected as the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Men's Player of the Month. He was also named to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week for the weeks of December 19 through January 2.

The senior guard averaged 18.4 points and 6.3 rebounds during Bluffton's run over the past four weeks. His efforts have helped the Beavers to their best start in school history (11-1) and to a record nine straight victories. Bluffton holds the conference's best record and is currently ranked 25th in the D3hoops.com Top 25 poll.

Bergman scored 129 points, pulled down 44 rebounds, and dished out 35 assists in seven games in the month of December. He also had 18 steals and was efficient shooting the ball. Bergman was 41-of-78 (53%) from the field and 17-of-42 (40%) from the three-point line.

Included in his performances was a 37-point effort against Marygrove and an MVP performance at the McDonald's of Bluffton Tournament in record-setting victories over IU-East and Tiffin University. He scored 37 points in the tournament and had 13 rebounds and six assists.

Bergman was named HCAC Player of the Week for his output against Marygrove and Notre Dame College. For the week, he averaged 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists per game.

He currently leads the conference in scoring (19.8 ppg) and assists (4.36 apg) and is ranked in the top ten in the conference in rebounding (8th), field goal percentage (10th), free throw percentage (6th), steals (3rd), three-point field goal percentage (3rd) and three-point field goals made (2nd).

Bergman is the first Bluffton athlete to be named HCAC Player of the Month.

The recipients of the award are voted on by the sports information directors of the conference's eight member institutions.